la femme nikita
by nonoza
Summary: a few years after breaking dawn the pack are running an auto-repairshop. embry imprints on sam's newest employee and they hit it off but imprinting is just never that easy. ON HAITUS
1. Chapter 1

**Nick**

**Embry's POV**

"Shouldn't your new employee be here by now?" I asked Sam. He and Emily had just had a baby girl. He'd hired someone new so he could spend more time at home. We worked fixing cars. We owned the garage jointly but it felt natural for Sam to be in charge. He was the leader of the pack after all. Nick was moving to La Push and had called looking for a job. We were all a little uneasy about hiring a stranger and an outsider but there were no other takers. We certainly weren't going to volunteer the little time we had to ourselves.

"I knew this was a bad idea," he mumbled. Six members of the pack worked in the garage; Sam, Jacob, Paul, Jared, Quil and yours truly. There wasn't a lot of money in it but we did this for sustenance not wealth.

"Don't be so pessimistic," Jacob said from under a car. "He hasn't even arrived yet."

"That's the point," Quil pointed out from under another one.

"Maybe we'll just have to cut back on business," Sam thought out loud. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with his family. His abandonment issues might have something to do with it. I was suddenly relieved that we weren't phased. Nobody argued. Imprinted people were almost always happy. It was beyond annoying.

We heard a motorcycle driving up. The driver didn't slow down. She came to a screeching stop right behind the car Jacob was under. Everyone else was a little shocked. I wasn't. The predominant feeling was peace. My world had just been set on its axis and I had a purpose. My purpose was a good six feet tall and blond. She was slim and her eyes were the clearest blue. She gracefully dismounted the bike, she was in overalls and boots yet she suddenly made pale any woman I'd ever seen in the most flattering attire.

"Close your mouth," she said to me. That wasn't the start I'd hoped for with the woman I'd imprinted on. Not to mention that it was embarrassing. "Which one of you is Sam?" she asked after pausing one beat for the chuckles that turned very quiet, very soon.

"That would be me," he said studying my face out of the corner of his eye. "What service can I provide?"

"You can tell me where to start," her shoulders went up the slightest bit when she said this. Her voice was hoarse but she wasn't sick. It was natural for her, it was almost breathy, a beautiful alto.

"Where to start?" he stopped looking at me and paid a little more attention to his conversation.

"Nick," she extended her right hand.

"Nick?" Sam, Jared and Paul said at the same time. Quil and Jacob poked out of their holes.

"Nick," she nodded dropping her hand, "Where do I start?" she asked again.

"I was under the impression that Nick was a man," Paul said questioningly to Sam. Who nodded his agreement.

"You're presumptuous," she smiled mockingly at him. "Unless this job requires testicles and chest hair I'd like to know what you need done."

"Embry can show you around," Sam said after I gave him a pleading look.

"Unless there's a secret door, I don't need to be shown around." She shook her head. "I've seen bigger prison cells." She added in a voice I'm not sure was meant to be inaudible. She certainly spoke her mind.

"I'll need him to supervise you on your first project," he pointed to a dented station wagon.

"I'm a mechanic, not a panel beater," she folded her arms.

"You're also a stranger," Sam stood straighter. I guess the alpha didn't need to assert his position with just us.

"Hey King Jock," she addressed me, "You wanna step in this direction?" she pointed at the car with her thumb.

"I'm Embry," I told her as I walked closer. The pack suddenly remembered they hadn't introduced themselves and gave their names.

"I'm better with names over drinks," it sounded like an offer and that was a prospect I could not let slip.

"What time?" I asked eagerly. Her eyes narrowed a little bit. I must be creeping her out.

"There isn't a bar in La Push," Sam pointed out. Great.

"Is that a passive aggressive way to say you don't drink with your employees?" she asked.

"There really isn't one," Jared told her.

"We could all get something to eat sometime," I suggested and looked around for support.

"Meals are for friends, family and people who've seen each other naked," she said, "Strangers have drinks."

"We do have a liquor store," Paul informed. Finally someone was saying something that helped my cause.

"And we all have drinks at my place after work most days," I fibbed. Quil and Jacob were snickering back in their holes. They hadn't seen whatever stupid look I'd had on my face but they were catching on now.

"Are you inviting me over for drink or just giving me information on my fellow employees, Soapie Boy?" she smiled. I didn't know I'd miss King Jock. The smile seemed more genuine so I enjoyed basking in it a little more.

"I guess I'm inviting you for drinks after work," I answered doubtfully. It occurred to me in the middle of that sentence that inviting her over to have drinks with six giants might not seem as innocent as it is, especially with the way I've been looking at her.

"Tell me when you're sure," she tilted her head. I wasn't an awkward person. I'm fairly sure I wasn't being awkward right now but she made me feel like a school boy with a crush. In English, a bumbling idiot. And this was so much more than any crush could ever turn into. "Are you going to come over here? I don't bite," she smiled, "Unless you ask nicely," she winked. Was she flirting with me?

Paul gave me a push. I walked over to her and didn't even hear the conversation that the pack had about us as soon as we'd taken two steps.

"What's your full name?" I asked her while she worked.

"Nikita," she answered.

"Where did you move in?" I asked after a little silence. She wasn't exactly a stream of information and I didn't want to stalk her to get her address.

"I'm homeless," she pointed to a bag on the back of her bike.

"I'm looking to let a room," I said. It sounded far less creepy than move in with me because I can't live without you. I'd lived alone since my mother's untimely death.

"In that case," she said when she'd finished, "Drinks are at my place." If she trusts me enough to live in my house maybe she feels the connection as well. I was only too happy to shadow her the entire day while the pack threw back all the insults I'd been dishing out over the years.

"Would you like to take a ride on my motorcycle?" she asked me after work in a flirtatious tone.

"I'll take a ride on whatever you like," I tried to flirt back.

"Thank fuck," she sighed, "I thought I'd be living with a humourless man with a name from a soap opera." She got onto her bike and handed me a helmet.

"You wear it," I declined. I hoped she didn't do this often. We drove off into the sunset together. Well we drove to the liquor store and sunset was a rare bird in La Push. She dropped her single bag in the living room and opened a bottle of vodka when we got home. When we got home, I savoured. She poured generous amounts into two glasses and bumped hers into mine.

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," she smiled. I wasn't sure if she was serious but something in her eyes told me she might be. _Friendship is just the beginning Nikita._


	2. Chapter 2

**First Night**

**EPV**

We threw back the vodka and she went to go change. I know this because she kicked off her boots before she turned the corner. I heard fabric moving against soft skin, a door opening and faint laughter. That was my room. I flashed around the corner. "It was a joke," I explained. I'd just skipped over her overalls in the hall. I'd also assumed that she'd be wearing something under them. Isn't that why they were called overalls? And this was La Push, nobody wore one layer of clothing. Except of course Nikita.

She was standing there in a vest and a very poor excuse for underwear. I turned my back to her primarily out of respect. The secondary reason was the knowledge that looking at her barely clad form was more than I could handle. She laughed at me. How many times is that today? "Your poster is wearing far less," she pointed out. I didn't know how to respond to that. "So what's the joke?" she asked coming closer.

"The guys thought it would be funny to put it up and I left it there to rub the joys of bachelorhood in their faces," I answered.

"I think you just pissed on them," she came closer still.

"Them?" I swallowed.

"The joys of bachelorhood. I believe they include not having to explain the strategically posed female on your wall," she was now standing beside me. In my haste not to intrude on her modesty I had turned towards the poster. She was spot on about my being glad not to have to explain it. What she didn't know was that that reason was no longer valid. I felt accountable to her. She did not seem in the least bit concerned. If it were any other girl then that wouldn't worry me. But this wasn't any other girl. It stung that she didn't care. On the other hand she'd known me all of eight hours. Maybe I'll grow on her.

"I'm beginning to think the joys of bachelorhood are overrated anyway," I mumbled. I never thought having excellent vision would torture me. I saw more in my peripheral vision than I wanted to want to see.

"Sure, I can't imagine why anyone would want to come home when they wanted to and invite friends over and get all the tail they want and-" this list was endless.

"I get the point," I stopped her. "You should get dressed." I said when my eyes tried to drop from hers. She gave me a cheeky look. I caught her hands when I saw she intended to pull her vest off.

"What are you doing?" I asked when I had her hands pinned behind her back. She was so tall that her face was only one inch from mine in this position. She kissed me. That I couldn't resist. Maybe imprinting was why she was coming on to me. I let go of her hands to wrap mine around her waist. She wrapped her arms around my neck and had her legs wrapped around my waist faster than I thought humanly possible.

Her skin against mine was like the caress of a cool breeze on a summer day. I must feel like a furnace to her. I forgot myself and moved at werewolf speed over to the bed. She seemed blissfully unaware of anything. Her legs curled tighter around me when I dropped onto the bed. I thought it would be wise to talk while I retained my sanity.

I lifted my chest from hers, of course that stuck other parts of our anatomies even harder together. I had to close my eyes before I could speak. "You don't even know my last name," I said to make my point.

"Is it the password into your pants?" she asked sarcastically before lifting herself onto her elbows. I pulled back a little more. Bad idea. That pressed our lower halves even harder together. "It's Call." She rolled her eyes. "I can read." She said to my puzzled expression and kissed me again.

"Honey, I'm home," Quil's voice echoed. I tried very hard not to groan.

"We have visitors," I got up.

"I can hear as well," she got up.

"I'll go get your bag," I said before she could go anywhere. The guys poured in.

"I can't stay," were Sam's first words. There was much more of the same. Only now it made much more sense to me. Nick was in the next room and I wanted to go back. I took her bag to her and left her to change.

"So you want to get to know her better first?" Paul said. He was mocking me but I didn't really care.

"Yes," I answered anyway. I knew he'd understand, that they'd all understand.

"You want to slow down a relationship you know you'll have forever," Jacob contributed.

"You're sleeping with a seven year old," I pointed out. He soured. I knew better than what I was saying but he was asking for it.

"That better be code for something," Nikita came down the hall. She was wearing tracksuit pants. That was the only addition to her attire. There were no shoes and she still had on only the vest.

"You should meet his wife," Jared saved us.

"You guys are a tired cliché," she rolled her eyes, "Four out of six of you are married and none of you look a day over thirty." She picked up the bottle she'd already opened.

"That was a little rude," Sam told her.

"Blow me," she said with a smile.

"Drinks anyone?" I cracked a bottle open and poured one for Sam. We drank in front of the tv. It was off. The purpose of this was to get to know each other before we jump into bed together. Oh wait that's just me. Nick sat with her feet on the couch. There was a spot free next to her but she didn't know it was reserved for me. She held her bottle to herself in a manner that told me she wasn't sharing it.

"I'm Nikita," she said, "Dixon." She added throwing a look at me. The guys tried not to laugh. She shouldn't know that they knew. Everyone said their names like it was a race.

"Where are you from?" I asked.

"Boston," she didn't offer anymore than that.

"Why did you move to the middle of nowhere?" Jacob chuckled.

"The middle of somewhere was suffocating me," she poured a generous amount into her glass and gulped it all down.

"She came to find you," Jared said under his breath.

"Your family didn't mind?" Quil asked. He was still afraid that Claire's family would move back to their res and take Claire with them.

"Half of the family understands," she put the glass down and took a sip directly from the bottle. "The other half of the family is going to have a hard time locating the middle of nowhere." She gestured with her hand.

"That can't be easy on them," Sam said in a low voice.

"Easy is nonexistent. I don't know why we even have that word in the English language," Nikita replied.

"That's why family is important," I said. I would be alone without the pack.

"How about you tell me about yours?" she deflected.

"My mom died of cancer a few years ago and I never knew my father. This is my family now," I made a sweeping motion. I included her. She was central to the theme. She just didn't know it yet.

"Here's to you," she raised her bottle and drank again.

"Shouldn't you slow down?" I asked.

"Don't worry, I'm not a mean drunk," she patted my arm, "I won't rape you." There were a few scattered chuckles. "What about your family?" she turned to Paul, "Since that's the popular topic."

"He married my sister," Jacob answered for him. Nick laughed. It was a beautiful sound. It made me smile as well.

"What are the other stories?" she asked with a trace of the laughter. "There are twenty people in this place. That's not the only story." She pointed between Jacob and Paul. I couldn't volunteer Sam's prior involvement with his wife's cousin or Quil imprinting on her niece.

"One of these guys is my brother," I said when no one spoke. I got a few disapproving looks.

"They all look like you," she said after a brief examination. A sign that I should point him out. Slight problem there. "None of us know who." I answered. She just tilted her head and looked at me questioningly. "That's the only thing the person who told us knew. That my father was from here, which by the way my mother isn't."

"See? That's a good story," the smile was sad this time. We talked a little about the kids of the clan. Sam had a daughter, Stephanie. Jared had a girl and a boy, Timothy and Sarah. Paul had two boys, Trouble and Trouble. In their defence their father was Paul. The rest of us were yet to procreate. It was late, married men had to go home and Quil had to go sleep in the grass somewhere. I don't know why he still even owns a bed.

"So you know my last name," she smiled leaning against the door she'd just closed.

"And you've had half a bottle of vodka," I put my arm around her waist and walked her down the passage. She leaned more heavily onto me. I picked her up.

"Take me to your room," she said against my shoulder. I hesitated briefly then succumbed. I pulled the covers back and lay her under them.

"Did you bring PJs?" I asked hopefully. She shook her head and her pants flew past my head. She sat up with a devilish smile and took off her vest. I didn't know if I was grateful or not that she was wearing a bra. Then that came off as I stood there like an idiot.

"I know what you can do with that." she pointed at my wood then peeled the covers off. I wanted to close my eyes, they just wouldn't cooperate. The only steps my body didn't revolt against were towards her. She let out a small gap when I took my shirt off. We looked at each other with smouldering eyes as I removed my pants. I was completely naked before her. She stood up and pushed her underwear down her legs and stood in front of me.

We looked at each other. I could hear her heart racing. I could hear mine too. She took my hand and put it on her perfect breast. That severed my connection to restraint. I brought her face to mine and kissed her roughly. Her leg curled around mine with purpose. I pushed her onto the bed and reminded myself to slow down. She pushed me onto my back as soon as I did that.

"Nick," I could hardly recognise my own voice. She shut me up with a kiss and started sliding me inside her. I cried out. She moaned in my ear and bit my earlobe. She leaned back and pulled me till I was sitting up. It was only when I was buried in her that I could smell the blood. It was faint but it was there. "Are you okay?" I asked putting a firm restraining hand on her.

"Perfect," she said before kissing me again.

"Be still," I said in my gentlest voice. I kissed down her neck. She leaned back and I supported her with my arm. I pulled her nipple into my mouth and alternated between sucking and nibbling. I rolled her other nipple between the fingers of my free hand. Her breathing became shallow and I felt her nails digging into my arm and her nipples pebble under my ministrations. She rocked herself gently against me. I let her control the pace. When I could tell she was close I pulled her in for a kiss and put my finger in her mouth. She sucked on it a little then swirled her tongue around it. I brought it down between us and placed it ever so gently on her clit. My movements were fast without being rough. Pretty soon she was doing all the work herself. Seeing that look on her face… shit I came first. I could feel my face change into something I wasn't sure I would recognise.

"Oh God," when she said that I knew. She looked at my through hooded eyes and then her head fell back. I let her ride it out. Enjoying that I'd brought her that feeling. She put her head on my chest and refused to move.

"Nikita," I called. I was sure she was awake. I turned and lay her gently at my side. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" she asked without quite looking at me.

"That you were a virgin," I mumbled. That didn't embarrass me until I'd said it.

"I'm not," she laughed. This was going to be tricky. There wasn't enough blood to even make a drop on the sheet. It was just in that fleeting moment that I smelled it. Confessing to super senses right now would throw us off topic for the next three months. And I could still be wrong.

"Nikita," I brushed her hair away from her face.

"Tell me it wouldn't have been awkward," she finally looked at me.

"I would have been a gentleman," I told her honestly.

"I don't have that kinda time," she smiled but her eyes were sad.

"What do you mean?" there was something there.

"That half a bottle of vodka would have made me pass out at some point," she answered. This was a deflection. Was she moving on from La Push? Probably. But how do I stop her without sounding like a lunatic. She curled up facing away from me. I wrapped myself around her fame. My arms felt empty without her there.

"Good night, Embry," she said my name for the first time.

"Good night Nikita," I kissed her hair and tightened my arms around my reason for existence.


	3. Chapter 3

**360**

**Embry's POV**

I woke up by myself. Nick was having breakfast. I felt the smile spread over my face as I threw on some clothes and went to join her. "Morning," I tried to kiss her cheek. She moved away. Did it suddenly look like I'd taken advantage of her in the light of the new day?

"Good morning," she smiled. She wasn't mad. What on Earth…?

"You're confusing me," I admitted. "You greet me warmly but you won't let me kiss you." I said more to myself.

"It would be rude of me not to greet you," she said, "Kissing me good morning on the other hand is not a perk you get seeing as you're not my boyfriend." She said between spoonfuls of cereal. Ouch!

"What about last night?" I asked in my best I-don't-feel-like-crying voice.

"What about last night?" she raised her eyebrows at me. No.

"Nothing," I said, "Except the fact that you made love to me like you meant it." I tried to catch her eye but she'd gone back to eating her cereal.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said in a sing song voice. And I thought we were doing so well.

"You can't say that we didn't connect," I reached for her hand, "Not after the way you kissed me."

"I'm not saying we didn't connect," she smiled. My day instantly brightened, for exactly three seconds, until she said, "I'm saying we didn't have sex." She wasn't serious. She'd had half a bottle of vodka but I could tell she knew.

"Why are you doing this?" I wanted to know.

"Saying we didn't have sex?" she verified, "Because we didn't have sex."

"Do you not want to talk about it?" I asked.

"There's nothing to talk about," she went on merrily eating my cereal.

"I'm going to take a shower," I started walking out of the room, "Perhaps you are not a morning person." I got undressed again and took a shower. I didn't understand why she would do this. I thought she behaved the way she did because she felt the connection we had. But what would cause her to act that way this morning? She was gone when I came out the shower. I tried not to sulk all the way to work.

When I got to work she was working under a car with earphones in. Wonderful. "Who killed your puppy?" Quil was the first to ask.

"Nikita Dixon," I sighed.

"What happened?" Paul asked with a slight smile.

"We slept together," I said in a low voice.

"And what exactly is your problem?" Jared looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"She's denying anything happened," I told them.

"Why?" a few people asked at once. Work had stopped. Nick hadn't even noticed.

"Ask me. I surely know," I snapped. I let out a breath loudly.

"Maybe she doesn't remember," Sam offered. I love it when he's so practical.

"She was not that drunk and she woke up naked in my bed, next to me," I told him, "She hasn't even been inside her room."

"Why would she deny it happened?" a confused Jacob asked. Because I had the answer to that.

"Because she wants to pretend it never happened," I mumbled sourly.

"But why would she want to do that?" Quil asked.

"Do any of you think we'd be having this conversation if had the answers?" I asked petulantly.

"She has the answers," Sam pointed under the car.

"And she's volunteering them," I tacked on.

"Did you use protection?" Paul asked. That had not been on my list of priorities last night.

"That's not your business dad," I answered.

"I'm trying to help you," he reminded me.

"No," I answered.

"Go talk to her about the possibility of her being pregnant and all the consequences of that," he suggested. I think that was the best I could get as far as ways to make someone admit they slept with you go. I nodded and went to slide in next to her as she slept. This was probably a conversation we should have alone when we got home but the pack would find out anyway and I had a feeling she was planning to ignore me the whole day.

"We need to talk," I said after pulling an earphone out of her ear.

"What about?" she asked nonchalantly.

"About what happened last night," I answered.

"Drinks and a conversation?" she evaded.

"What if you're pregnant?" I asked turning my face towards hers.

"I'm not pregnant," she continued working.

"How do you know?" I asked. She sounded so sure.

"Besides the fact that I didn't sleep with you?" she threw a sidelong glance at me. That worked out well don't you think Paul?

"I have syphilis," I knew it was a cheap trick. The others started laughing. She hit me on the side of my face with a spanner.

"You fucking prick," she swung again but hit metal this time. It's so hard trying to beat someone up under a car. I slid out. She followed.

"So you did sleep with me," I smiled getting up. She threw more metal at me then sighed.

"Fine, Isleptwithyou," she said a little louder than necessary. "I take it you don't really have syphilis." She tried to make sure. I wanted to run with that one but I wasn't interested in being in anymore trouble.

"Are we gonna talk about it now?" I asked.

"No," she tried to slide back under her car. I wasn't having that. I grabbed her ankle. "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it talk." She pointed out.

"We'll just stand by the stream until the horse gets chatty," I sat down with her ankle firmly in my grasp. She tried to kick me with no luck.

"Sam," she called. He hesitated then answered. "I find it difficult to work in this position." She told him.

"And I find it difficult to stop a fight between employees who've slept together," he replied, "It's a tricky situation and I lack experience." Thank you Sam.

"Talk," she instructed crossing her leg over her the one in my grasp.

"How old are you?" I asked.

"I was busy," she answered two questions ahead, "I didn't have time initially and then it was never the right time and it just gets harder the older you become."

"How old are you?" I repeated. Now I was really curious.

"I'm twenty nine," she rolled her eyes. "Don't make my life awkward Embry." It was something between a threat and a plea. This is probably why she had jumped to explaining how she was still a virgin at her age without letting me ask the question.

"I still think you should have told me," I said.

"If I'd told you then we wouldn't be having this conversation and you know it," she pointed at me. I couldn't deny that one.

"I've put the cart before the wagon here," I tried, "But would you like to go out with me?"

"_I_ put the cart before the horse and no, I don't want to go out with you," she said looking me straight in the eye.

"Come on Nick," I pleaded.

"No," her face became cold. I was so crushed my hand lost its grip on her ankle. She slid back under the car. The garage was silent but for her tools. Besides Sam and Emily, Claire and Quil, maybe even Jake and Nessie imprinting had been relatively simple. And the complications in the named cases were related to the families more than the couples. There wasn't a complication between Nikita and I. So why did she have no interest in a relationship with me?

"Sorry man," some of the pack members said when I returned to them.

"It'll work out," others assured me.

Would it? How exactly could I get her to love me? It's supposed to come naturally and that just isn't working. Maybe what she needs me to be right now is a friend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Embry's POV**

It was Sunday. The day on which broken down cars would sit in the middle road for all we cared. Nick and I blended into friendship pretty fast. It was a sunny day. She came out of her room in shorts and a t shirt. "Do you wanna go cliff diving?" she asked before I could get too distracted by her legs.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said. Cliff diving was dangerous.

"Okay," she smiled. "Bye," she waved as she opened the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked with a nagging feeling that I knew the answer.

"Cliff diving," she answered. "You didn't want to come." She shrugged.

"We're receiving visitors," I reminded her.

"Exactly," she said under her breath.

"You can't avoid meeting them forever," I said.

"I won't need to," she smiled, "For I do not have forever. Tell your friend's wives I've gone cliff diving and I'll see them when I get back."

"I'm coming with you," I then picked up the phone and told Emily they needed to arrive about an hour later than planned.

"That's the spirit," she slapped my back.

"You are tall," I couldn't help but notice when she was this close.

"Do you want to be the kettle or the pot, Big Foot?" she headed straight for her bike. I wanted to take the thing apart but she could put it back together. She never wore the helmet unless I nagged. I got on behind her. There was just no way I was ridding on something else while she rode this. It was a beautiful machine but it was ridiculously fast and she took full advantage of that.

"I'm going to start calling you names," I warned as I got on. She just scoffed. I put on her helmet and we drove to the cliffs. She stood on the top of the cliff smiling. "We can jump from lower down," I said. She just smiled a troubling little smile and walked backwards. If it weren't for the smile I would have thought she was backing off. In my dreams. She ran and threw herself into the air. Instinctually I threw myself after her. I held her hand in the air. She didn't even scream. She looked peaceful. I aloud myself to imagine that my touch was the cause.

We went under and when we came up she was content to float on the surface and I was content to watch her. She swam towards the face of the rock. When I followed her there she stood straight. I felt her hand move up my torso. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked me as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You can't do this to me," I said even as my hands went around her waist.

"Fine," she came closer. "You kiss me then." I pressed her up against the rock. She wrapped her arms and legs around me. I kissed her with all the longing I'd felt ever since her first night here. I broke away before I could lose my sanity.

"I want more," I whispered.

"Take it," she breathed.

"That's not what I mean," I put my forehead on hers.

"I don't have anymore to offer," her hands slid down my arms.

"You do," I knew this to be true. "You're amazing." She started shaking her head when I said that. "You know your way around a car better than I do. You have the most amazing laugh. You're full of spirit. Sure, it scares the shit out of me when you do things like this," I pointed at the cliff, "But I love that about you."

"Stop," she shook her head and pushed me away. I followed her as she swam to shore.

"What is your problem?" I asked as we trudged back to the bike. "You like me. I can tell you like me."

"Unbelievable," she shook her head. I put my hands around her waist and pulled her into me. She surrendered after a little resistance. I turned her around and pressed my lips to hers. She kissed me slowly, tenderly. It was so sweet I wanted to cry. I held her face between my hands and I deepened the kiss. She clung to my arms. Her body still leaned against mine. I pushed her face back until I could see into her eyes.

"That wasn't just physical," I said. She closed her eyes.

"I can't do this," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Tell me why not," I begged.

"Besides not having had a relationship in twenty nine years?" she threw her hands up. This problem was tiny.

"Open try outs," that just came out. "Sorry that was stupid. I would say you can practise on me but you get things right the first time." That was equally stupid. She knew what I was referring to and blushed for the first time since I'd seen her. "Let's try," I brushed my lips against hers. She gasped. "Give me a chance," I kissed her cheek.

"We have visitors," she looked down. I dropped my hands and we walked the rest of the way to the bike. I was hoping being introduced to the other imprints would help her feel more part of the club. Now it didn't seem like such a good idea.

"I see little people," she said when we got home.

"Yeah?" I wasn't sure where she was going with this. There was only one tiny person.

"Oh this is going to be so much fun," she said sarcastically.

"You don't like kids?" I wondered.

"Did my bubbling enthusiasm give it away?" she walked towards them. "Hello," she waved walking past Kim, Emily, Rachel and Nessie. They didn't get a chance to finish their greetings before she disappeared into the house. Emily had brought her baby.

"We'll take it from here," my way was blocked.

"Don't scare her," I pleaded with them.

"You're worried _we'll_ scare _her_?" Kim laughed.

"She scares for different reasons, okay? And I don't want her to be scared so don't come on too strong," I warned, "Try not to…" I sighed.

"Don't worry," Emily rubbed my shoulder with her free hand. "Now go away." She shooed me. I went for a run that took up the rest of my afternoon. When I came home the wives had left and Nikita was in the bath. I went to sit outside the bathroom door.

"How was your afternoon?" I asked.

"You've seen me naked," she invited me in. That doesn't mean I'm immune to the sight. I got in and sat next to the bath. It had bubbles and smelled really good. A beer was sitting next to her on the rim.

"Made any new friends?" I asked.

"Definitely maybe," she laughed.

"What did you talk about?" I asked.

"You," she answered. Well that's direct.

"What about me?" I asked.

"They think you're in love with me," she said in a distant voice. Subtlety is also dead, apparently.

"What do you think of that?" I asked. I didn't want to scare her by admitting it.

"I think I'm all wrong for you," she picked up a sponge and started working on her leg.

"You're perfect for me," I contradicted. She looked at the wall.

"No I'm not," she said this as if it were the most obvious thing. "You love animals." She said when I tried to protest.

"And that's a bad thing?" I turned and looked at her.

"If my idea of a pet wasn't a rock it would be cute," she pinched my cheek, making my face heat up. "And you hate that I leave my things all over the floor."

"I like picking your things up. They smell like you," I couldn't help but inhale when I said that.

"You could give my panties back," she put foam on my face, "But seriously, you're the guy that someone takes home to meet their mother."

"Take me home to meet yours," I blurted before she'd made her point.

"She's dead," she soaped me again.

"I'm so sorry," I rubbed her shoulder.

"I was two," she rubbed my arm.

"Take me home to meet your dad," I said since I'd started down this road and she hadn't said no. she sighed.

"Mad Max would love you," she started pulling me into the bath with her.

"Mad Max," I smiled at the name, letting myself being pulled into the foam.

"But I'm not the type to take anyone home," she said when she'd successfully submerged me in foamy liquid. "And you deserve better than that."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me," I said sadly, "But I would rather have you than your high opinion." I slid over and curled my arms around her. She leaned into me like it was the most natural thing. I kissed her forehead.

"When last did you talk to your dad?" I asked.

"Why?" she said into my chest.

"I saw your phone but I've never seen it on or heard you talk on it," I explained.

"If I turn that phone on then my brother will track me," she sighed.

"Why don't you want him to find you?" I was concerned.

"Ian's a great guy but he and I could never understand each other. We were always too different," she shook her head then went on, "One was a rock star and the other was a nerd."

"I'm sure he's ready to accept that you're free spirited," I brushed her hair. She laughed surprisingly loudly. "What am I missing?" I asked.

"Ian's older than I am. Bit I was told his first words were, 'Drink till shit is pretty'," she laughed. Unbelievable.

"You were the nerd?" I was surprised.

"I have three PhDs," she shared, "I love all things mechanical. Spent the last twenty nine years behind a desk or supervising my creations coming to life. Fixing cars was my idea of unwinding. He thought I should live more and I thought he should turn down his own volume. We listened to each other. He aged a hundred years and I thought I should be twenty one."

"So you left home because you clashed with him?" I wanted to know.

"No," she said, "This is me being stupid and irresponsible and he's back home breathing fire. Daddy gets it though."

"I think you should call them," I said. She thought about it for a long silent moment.

"You can't come crying to me if this place is crawling with God knows who in the next twenty four hours," she said getting up. I closed my eyes as her scent permeated the room. I drained the tub and took off my now wet clothes. I slipped into sweats and went to find her sitting next to the phone in her gown. I sat down and held her hand. She was visibly trembling. I sat next to her and wrapped my arms around her.

"I understand that this is difficult for you," I said softly, "Right now I'm just the guy who's holding your hand. No pressure."

"It's not that," she looked into my eyes, "I want you to be the guy. The one who's going to meet my dad and he would love you but it would be selfish of me." Selfish? What could that possibly mean?

"I don't understand," I said.

"A part of me doesn't want you to," she said as she picked up the phone. She moved onto my lap. I didn't ask her what she didn't want me to understand. She'd tell me eventually. I was sure. "Well here goes nothing," she dialled.

"Hello," came a voice that was so hoarse it was almost metallic. Well that explains one thing.

"Hello daddy," her voice was instantly infused with innocence.

"Nikita," he exclaimed. The name was echoed by a much smoother voice. "Your bother would like to talk to you. He's missed you dearly." She just sighed and waited.

"Come home," Ian went straight to the point.

"We're not having this argument," Nick sighed, "And if you start it I swear I'm dropping this phone." I could here Ian breathing on the other side. His father was telling him to stay calm.

"You sound happy," he was melancholy.

"I've met someone," she explained. She's met someone. Me. I kissed her cheek. There was a long silence on the line. Neither of them spoke a single word.

"Have you told him?" Ian asked at last.

"No," she said in a shaky voice, moving the receiver just a tiny bit away from me. "In the long run I might not have to. Just let me enjoy this please."

"No one deserves that more than you," he said. Their voices sounded tired. Like they'd been spent by the same argument and were giving up. "When can I talk to him?"

"When I want to scare him away I'll let you know," she moved even further from me.

"Nick," he started.

"I'll call again okay? Tell daddy I love him," she said in one breath.

"I'll tell him," he didn't even bother trying to keep her on the line.

"And I love you," she said.

"We love you too," he replied. She put her phone down and threw her arms around me. She started crying.

"I think that went pretty well," I tied to comfort her.

"It did," she sobbed. And of course that's a reason to cry.

"What's the matter?" I rocked her. "What haven't you told me?" I continued when she was silent.

"The reason I can't offer you anything more than garden variety fucking is that I'm dying," she put her hands in her hair. No she wasn't. She was perfectly healthy.

"But you're fine," I found myself trying to convince her.

"For now," she wiped my cheek, "But I'm dying and there are no two ways about it. I'm sorry. It was unfair of me to get this close to you. I'm so sorry." She put my head on her chest. I clung to her and started sobbing audibly.

"You're not going to die," I clutched her to me, "I won't let you."

"Come here," she led me to my room, "Things usually look better in the morning." She pulled back the covers and pulled me in with her. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. She was young and full of life.

"You're not going to die," I wrapped myself around her. Trying to protect her from all that was conspiring against her.

"Shhh," she brushed my hair. I held her all night. I couldn't sleep and I couldn't let go. I couldn't lose her now. I'd barely known her a month. I wanted to love her for eternity. She couldn't be dying. Her arms left my hair and sprawled on the new sheets. Her legs spread, one on each side of me. I realised her body was trying to find a cool spot somewhere away from me. I still couldn't let go. I thought she would be creeped out to wake up with me lying between her legs. She wasn't. I wonder what she'd think if she knew I was a werewolf.

It was time for us to talk. Maybe we'd find a solution. There had to be one somewhere.


	5. Chapter 5

**EPV**

"Embry," she whispered brushing my hair.

"Nikita," I tightened my arms around her.

"Time won't stand still," she kissed the top of my head, "No matter how hard you wish."

"What is it?" I finally asked. I'm very sure I do not want to know the answer to the question but wishing is not going to help me.

"Huntington's Chorea," she said it like it was the name of an old friend.

"I'm not sure what that is."

"It's a genetic disease that's going to make me lose control of my body, my mind and eventually kill me," she explained as though it was nothing at all. "There is no cure and no way to prevent it from happening. My birth mother had it. My parents adopted us from her. They never told us she had it. My brother, the stubborn ass, turned the world over looking for her. This is what he found. I think he's so angry because he doesn't have it."

"There has to be a way," I said more to myself than to her.

"There isn't and I'll be long gone before they find one," she started to push me gently. "We have to go to work."

"There's something I need to tell you," I pulled her back down.

"Can it wait till after work?" she pulled away, "I need some mundane activity right now."

"Okay," I let her go. I needed to think this through anyway. There was no right way to tell someone you're a werewolf but there must be a better way than just blurting it out. The other members of the pack should know. The shower started and I went to make breakfast. Nikita came to breakfast in her overalls.

"Go get cleaned up," she said when she saw that I was going to sit with her. I stepped into the shower that was filled with her fragrance. Huntington's chorea. I stood under the cold water. Maybe it would wake me up from this awful nightmare. I don't know how long I stood there but it was long enough for Nick to knock on the door.

"If you wanna swim I know a better place," she said, "You wasting precious resources." I got dressed in a dreamlike state. "I'm gonna be a little late for work," she smiled sadly, "I need some time." I wanted to offer to stay with her but maybe she needed to be alone. I rode my dirt bike to work.

"What's she done this time?" Paul asked with an easy smile.

"She told me she was dying," I said in a hollow voice. No one said a word. Tools stopped moving. The only sounds in the room were breathing and beating hearts.

"She doesn't even have a temperate," Jacob pointed out.

"No but she does have Huntington's Chorea," I sat on the floor. It still wasn't real to me. She was so full of life. There was no way she was dying.

"But that's incurable," Jared said.

"Thank you, Jared," I said, "I needed to hear that one more time."

"But how can that be?" Sam said in a puzzled tone.

"What? You don't think Emily's gonna die?" I said coldly. He flinched away from a prospect that didn't yet have a guarantee. It was uncalled for but I didn't care.

"We're so sorry," Quil said.

"What the fuck did you do? Give her the disease? Make me imprint on her? What the fuck is it that you're sorry for?" I yelled. All was quiet again. No one knew what to say. There was nothing they could say. No one could say anything to make this right, unless maybe Nikita walked through the door and told me I was being punked. In my dreams.

"Shouldn't you be with her right now?" Sam asked tentatively. Rare for him.

"She wanted to be alone," I mumbled. I got up and went to sit in the small office. I sat there staring into space, willing this to be a mistake or even a cruel joke. I didn't eat lunch. I didn't work. I just sat there trying to think of a way to cure an incurable disease.

"It's time to go home," Sam stood by the door. I stood up and walked back to my bike. The silence every time I walked into the room was heavy. I preferred it to anyone trying to tell me I was going to be alright. The only was I'd be alright was if Nikita was alright and she was the only person I wanted to talk to right now. I sped back home to her. Her scent was on the road. Maybe she'd gone for a ride to clear her head. That was wishful thinking.

She was gone. Her shoes weren't by the door where she usually left them. The house looked so unlived in with all her things gone. There was a note on the table. I didn't want to read it because I had an idea of what it said. I went over and looked down at it.

_Embry_

_I can't stay here. I don't know what it is we had but I can't let it go any further. That would be cruel. It might hurt now but it would be worse if I stayed. I have ten good years if I'm lucky. I want nothing more than to spend them with you but I can't live with knowing that you'd have to watch me wither away and die. You're a great guy. I haven't known you long but I know that. I feel it. Live a happy, fruitful life._

_Nikita_

I wasn't going to let her leave. Ten years is much more than nothing. I didn't bother with the bike. I ran for the woods and phased without bothering to take my clothes off. I followed the road to Port Angeles. Dammit I should have brought clothes. There was no way I was running back to La Push now. I found an unfortunate traveller on the trail and freed him of him clothes. I'd never used my strength for this purpose before but right now I didn't care about the rules.

I went back to find her trail and followed it to the airport. She was gone and no one was co operating with me. I got the idea to go back and call her brother before I succumbed to ripping out someone's unhelpful voice box. I'd seen her dialling the number. I ran back to La Push and called Ian.

"Where is she?" I asked when he picked up. "Where's Nikita?" I clarified.

"Who are you?" he sounded worried.

"I'm…" I realised he doesn't know my name. "I'm the someone she met."

"She's gone, isn't she?" he asked with a knowing tone.

"Do you know where she is?" I asked him again.

"I'm the last person she'd tell," he said sadly, "And this is the last place she'll come to." I didn't miss the double meaning.

"So you have no idea where she might be?" I found myself yelling again.

"None," he sighed.

"Fuck," I slammed the phone down. There must be some way to find her.


	6. Chapter 6

**EPV**

I lay on the cold bathroom floor. It was Sunday. I hadn't eaten all weekend. I hadn't even bothered to get off the floor that entire time. I had been looking for Nikita for eight weeks. I had tried everything. Her family had tried everything before me. She had practice with this. I wasn't giving up but I had nothing to go on. Absolutely nothing. And today I was sucked into the whirlpool of despair. Everyday without her was harder than the last.

Everybody had reassured me in the beginning but that had died down when they became unsure of her return. Hope of finding her was dwindling with every passing day. There was a knock on the door. The pack took turns, probably suicide watch. I ignored it. I heard a key turn, someone must have swiped it. I concentrated on shutting them out until I heard the faint sound of sobbing. I got off the floor and opened the door. That's when her scent hit me. I ran out of the bathroom as fast as I could.

She was sitting on the arm of the couch. I wrapped my arms around her and cried into her hair. This only made her cry harder but I couldn't help it. I was too happy to see her to contain it. I kissed her as gently as I could, which wasn't saying much, then I sat down next to her. "I'm so glad to have you back," I kissed her again.

"I couldn't do it," she sobbed.

"It's okay," I rubbed her back. "It's okay." She just shook her head. "Please don't cry." I begged. She breathed deeply and wiped her tears away.

"What do you have to eat?" she asked. That was random. And I hadn't exactly been keeping house.

"What would you like?" I asked enthusiastically. Right now I could make a five course meal with all the joy in the world.

"Carrots," she smiled.

"I don't think I've ever seen you eat a vegetable," I thought out loud.

"I'd been eating my veggies for twenty nine years. When I was diagnosed I decided to misbehave," she explained, "That's why you haven't seen me eat a vegetable." She took a carrot out of the bag and started munching, "No cooking required." She was so cute, talking with her mouth full.

I watched her eat a whole bag of carrots. "Did you not eat for the past eight weeks? " I asked. She was sitting on the counter, swinging her legs gently. She bit her lip. The tears started again.

"Did something happen?" I lifted her face to mine. She nodded. "What happened? Tell me. Please." I begged.

"I'm pregnant," she said in a shaky voice. I remembered that she didn't like kids. I tried to think of something to say that would make this easier for her. "I should have terminated." She sobbed. I didn't like that idea. "But I couldn't. I shouldn't even be pregnant."

"You'll make a great mom," I held her face between my hands and looked into her eyes.

"I had my tubes tied," she told me, looking into my eyes, "I want to kill my doctor and you for subjecting me to the torture of that decision."

"Maybe it's meant to be," I suggested.

"I'm meant to have a child I won't see graduate high school and give them a disease that will literally cripple them and have you watch us both die?" her voice went cold.

"There's a fifty percent chance that might not happen," I said.

"That only applies to the last part of my sentence," her voice was gentler. "I might not pass it to the foetus but I'm still going to die a slow, torturous death." She said the words separately. I wanted to ask her not to say it but that wouldn't make it less true. "I shouldn't subject you or… anyone else to that."

"We'll find a way," I said.

"Don't do that," she shook her head, "I've watched enough people go crazy trying to find a way to make sure I live to see fifty. Don't do it."

"How can I not?" I asked her.

"How can you? When you know you won't succeed," she returned.

"I don't know that," I mumbled.

"I do," she said sadly. "Now unless you can regenerate the brain," she jumped down, "Leave the pipe dreams alone before they drive you insane." Regeneration. I was good at that.

I pulled her back to me. "I have something to tell you," I said. She pulled back and waited. "I, um, have something in my genes." I hadn't really thought about how I'd say this.

"Jesus Christ! Are you fucking kidding me?" she hit me. Maybe I could have said that better.

"I don't mean… whatever it is that you're thinking," I ducked, "I…" why was this suddenly so hard to say. "You know how the guys who work at the garage look so similar?" I tried another approach.

"What the fuck does that have to do with… you're all related?" her voice shot up and her brows knitted.

"Kind of," I raised my shoulders slowly.

"Out with it," she yelled in my face.

"I'm a werewolf," I blurted.

"What does that mean?" she asked when I didn't continue.

"I change into a wolf at will," I said really fast. She just started laughing. "Follow me," I started taking off my clothes. "Not for that," I grabbed her hand when she grabbed my ass, "I'm not sure you'll even be in the mood after this." I mumbled. "Just remember I won't hurt you," I squeezed her hand and walked backwards towards the woods.

"I can take you," she lifted her fists playfully. Her face was expectant. I'm sure she thought this was a joke.

"Don't freak out," _and run and trip and fall and hurt yourself and our kid. _I stopped there. We were having a baby. Together. I was going to be a father.

"Today still," she called from the back porch. I was calm as I was going to be before frightening the love my life away. I phased. I kept my teeth hidden and my stance neutral. I couldn't hide the size. This was as unintimidating as I would get. She tilted her head to the side as though trying to find a hidden device. I phased back and walked slowly back to her.

"Say something," I stood a few feet from her.

"I need to call my doctor," she turned towards the door. I sped and stood in front of her. "Or check myself into an institution." She stepped around me.

"You're not crazy," I followed her back into the house.

"Of course you'd say that," she reached for her phone.

"I'll prove it," I reached for her phone. She moved it further out of my reach. "If you're going to call someone at least call Ian or Maximilian."

"Now I know I'm crazy. I never told you my dad's name," she said.

"I called him. I saw the number when you dialled it," I explained before she could say I couldn't know that.

"You know that crazy people think their delusions are perfectly real and logical," she started dialling. "You know that right?"

"Why are you being so difficult?" I snatched the phone away.

"It might have something to do with you turning into a giant wolf," she reached for the phone, "And having a brain that's going to go belly up without prior notification is not helping my faith."

"You're not going to be convinced by anything I say," I realised.

"Sorry, wrong number," she smiled.

"Fine," I pulled her towards me. "Don't think about being crazy tonight. Come to bed with me." She leaned against me and started moving her hands up my arms. "I can't knock you up twice." I joked.

"You weren't supposed to be able to knock me up the first time," she folded her arms. I leaned in for a kiss. "I still haven't forgiven you for getting me pregnant." She pushed me and walked towards her room. I followed her into it.

"I'll behave," I promised, "I haven't seen you in two months. I just want to spend with my child and his mom."

"I've known for almost two month and I haven't wrapped my head around it," she stripped down to a t-shirt. "You can stay," she sighed. I crawled into bed with her and put my ear to her stomach until she told me I was annoying her with my enthusiasm. I lay by her side and replaced my ear with my hand. She was lying on her side when she fell asleep. I put my cheek against hers and fell asleep with my hand on our baby.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up early and went to the shops. I needed ingredients to make Nick breakfast. She was so beautiful and peaceful in her sleep I thought I wouldn't be able to leave. My shopping went fast and I went to look at her once more when I came back home. The bed was empty. I bumped into her as I was racing out of the door. I caught her before she could fall. "Where's the fire?" she asked.

"I woke up and you were gone," I explained, hugging her.

"I went for a quick jog," she stroked my hair.

"Don't scare me like that again," I said, not letting go. "I can't lose you, okay?" I pulled her back and looked into her eyes. "You're my family." I put my hand on her still flat stomach.

"I'm not going anywhere," she assured me, brushing my cheek. I pulled her face to mine and kissed her tenderly.

"I was going to bring you breakfast in bed," I pointed to the grocery bag on the floor.

"I'll come help you," she laughed.

"What are you planning on doing to me?" I asked. There was something about that lingering smile.

"I might burn the house down," she shrugged, "Cooking was never a talent I possessed. Ian used to say I should put the different foods separately and label them so he'd know what he was eating." She smiled at the memory. "Mad Max ate everything I ever made without a complaint."

"When are we going to tell them?" I asked her.

"When the kid's in college?" I wasn't entirely sure that was a joke.

"We'll start with my family," I tried to be understanding.

"You mean half of La Push? Sure," she rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you want to tell anyone?" I asked.

"I need to get used to the idea of being pregnant before I have people overwhelming me with congratulations," she said.

"I understand," I told her guiltily.

"Who have you told?" her eyes widened.

"I haven't told anyone, I swear. But they'll know," I told her apologetically.

"How can they know if you haven't told them?" she asked me accusingly.

"Your hormones change and stuff when you're pregnant," I offered.

"They can't see my hormones," she said matter of factually.

"You smell different," I furthered my explanation.

"I'll be in the kitchen when you want to make sense," she tried to walk around me.

"It's a werewolf thing," I heard her sigh quietly when I said that, "We have super senses."

"Of course you do," she started walking again. I elected to follow her to the kitchen instead of stopping her.

"Pregnancy has sweetened your smell," I reported as I walked behind her. "But you still have an edge." She ignored me and picked up the bag.

"This is a joke, right?" she looked into the package. I waited for her to continue. "Rye bread? Celery? Oatmeal?" she threw the bag back at me.

"A healthy diet is important, especially when you're pregnant," I tried to reason with her. Were women hormonal this early on?

"I'm going to say this slowly so you'll understand," she put her hands together, "I'm going to eat cornflakes and eggs and the thickest bacon I can find. You just thank God I'm willing to wash it down with Sunny D instead of Russian Bear."

"I've got bacon in the fridge," I backed down. "The eggs are cracked."

"We're gonna break them anyway," she took them out of my hands, "You make the bacon." She got out an ipod and played music I felt would hurt her ears but if I've learned one thing about Nikita is that she'll turn up the volume if I say that. Watching her dance was a plus though. The song was heavy on the metal but it wasn't fast. She swayed gently in some parts and others, well I can now officially say I can see Nikita's breasts even when she's facing away from me.

I made her cereal and gave it to her then dished up. I sat down and waited for her. She told me I didn't have to but I wanted to eat with her. She finished the cereal and we sat down for breakfast together. This felt so right. I dug into my eggs and then I had to laugh. "I suppose you get a kick from ruining breakfast," I said through laughter.

"I really can't cook," she laughed with me.

"You didn't have to turn the eggs into cardboard so you could make me believe that," I continued laughing. She just looked down and shook her head. I realised it wasn't a joke then, "I'm sorry Nick. I didn't mean to offend you." I brushed the back of her hand.

"I'm not offended," she smiled, "I'm a horrible cook. I'm good at most things but I'm useless at cooking."

"Well you never have to worry about that," I leaned over the table, "I'm a great cook. You just worry about kissing me next time."

"Tell me you don't have the stupid apron that says that," she skipped her eggs and went straight for the bacon. Wise choice.

"Of course I have the stupid apron that says that," I sat back and watched her eat. Her hair was down, she was still flushed from her jog. She was absolutely radiant. Then she smiled and nearly stopped my heart.

"Fine," she sighed, "Tell them but we tell my family on my terms, okay?"

"Of course," I went around the table and hugged her.

"Wipe the stupid grin off your face," she rolled her eyes.

"Can we go today?" I couldn't contain my excitement.

"I hate you just a little bit sometimes," she brushed my hair then kissed my cheek, "I'm going to take a shower." She threw her top at me. If that wasn't an invitation than she's trying to kill me with blue balls. I followed her into the bathroom. She faced me and undressed until she was as naked as a jaybird. I followed suit. She walked backward into the shower. She opened the water just as I stepped in and jumped into my arms the second it hit her body. She was using me as a shield against the cold spray. The sweet sound of her laughter filled the room.

I held her close to my body. She relaxed before the water had heated enough. "It's a wolf thing," I told her when she looked at me worriedly. Her leg started creeping up mine. Painfully slowly. I kissed her gently and ran my fingers down her back. She shivered and kissed me harder. I pushed her against the wall. I stood back to make sure she was okay. "I'm sorry."

"Stop being stupid or do you not want to have sex with me?" she tilted her head and lifted her leg and pushed herself away from the wall and gave me an eyeful. I put my legs between hers. I watched as her leg curled into just the perfect spot on mine. I reached back and pulled it higher up. I let my hand slide across her thigh. Her heart rate was in a frenzy, her hand was limp on my shoulder and her breath was heavy. I could smell her arousal.

I positioned myself at her entrance and lifted her off the floor. She moaned slightly as I started to push my member into her. I couldn't help the growl that escaped me. She gasped but since she pulled me closer I took it as a good sign. She leaned but instead of kissing me she whispered one words into my mouth. "Please." I kissed her and started pushing myself into her tight heat. Then I heard someone break through my door.

"Shit," I broke the kiss.

"Don't stop," she begged. I breathed heavily into her chest. I was giving serious consideration to not stopping.

"We've got visitors," I breathed. She let out a sigh of frustration and unhooked one of her legs from my waist so I could lower her. I grabbed a towel and passed it to her. I went out naked to greet my brothers. They were a little shocked, to say the least, by my appearance. "Is there anything I can help you with?" I asked Sam, Jacob and Paul in a voice that was too tense.

"You can put the snake away," Jacob pointed.

"He can't do that," Nick came around the corner in her towel, "I need to use it."

"You could have told us," Sam said to me.

"She got back yesterday and I just honestly forgot about you guys," I shrugged.

"Shoo," she stood behind me and wrapped her leg around my waist.

"Don't give our visitors a show," I whispered but held on to her leg.

"This is beyond weird," Paul turn for the door.

"It's beyond disgusting as well," Jacob followed him when I turned and ran my hand up her leg.

"Childish," Sam mumbled in disgust. Now I couldn't resist.

"Sam," I broke away from Nikita to see their reaction. "I'm gonna be a dad."


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay, now you really have to put that thing away," Jacob laughed in surprise

"Excuse me while I go and throw up," Nikita sighed and walked out of the room.

"she still needs to get used to the idea," I explained. "She didn't want kids. I'm not sure if she's always been that way but I think it's more because doesn't want to pass Huntington's to them." the room suddenly became quiet. Huntington's was not a word I used very often and things aren't too bright after it's been said.

"Congratulations," Paul was the first to speak. "Now go put some clothes on. We see each other naked but the hard on is making it awkward." the atmosphere lightened. I found Nick mostly dressed in the bedroom.

"You owe me a lot of sex," she smiled and I heard a few chuckles and scattered comments from the front, "No woman should endure pregnancy only having had sex once."

"You make a good point," I moved closer to her.

"Not right now," she threw pants at me. "I need to do some research."

"Research?" she couldn't possibly want to start a project in her delicate state.

"I don't know dick about kids," she put her hands up, "I'm going to ask Emily a few questions."

"Good, the guys are waiting," I told her as I dressed. She kissed my cheek and went out to them when she'd put on a shirt and I'd insisted she wear a heavier jacket.

"Hello intruders," she hinted.

"You almost drove him insane," I could hear the hostility in Sam's voice. This wasn't going to be the most pleasant of conversations but Nikita and Sam always have something to say. Letting them say it would be better in the long run. Sam was hard but he was not cruel. Nikita was, well, Nikita.

"It wasn't that bad," she rolled her eyes.

"This isn't a joke," he replied. There was something I couldn't place in his voice, a cross between anger and despair. I heard her sigh deeply. Something was coming.

"In fifteen years, Samuel, you'll wish I hadn't come back," I could hear the regret in her voice. If she took off again I was going to kill Sam, I really was. It was too late to intervene now. I had to let him get that idea out of her head first. "I'm going to die, slowly, painfully. He's gonna be there for it all, so will this baby. You'll re-evaluate your opinion once you see that damage."

"What you don't understand is that he's more than happy to have the years you'll give him no matter what he has to suffer afterwards. He'll cherish them for the rest of his days. And the damage would have been just as bad now," Sam said. Nice save.

"Then he would have met a nice girl and gotten over me much faster and a lot less painfully," she said matter of factually.

"No, he wouldn't have. He'll never get over you," he said with certainty. I thought it would be best to make my entrance then. Sam was on a slippery slope here.

"What is he talking about," she asked shrewdly when my eyes met hers, "I don't care how much you cried or how little you ate when I was gone, that level of certainty doesn't come from nowhere."

"Thank you so much Sam," I smiled at him, "I'll catch up with you guys later." He ignored the attitude. He had just gotten me into a fix. The guys gave me sympathetic looks and walked out. Telling the women they'd imprinted on hadn't gone so great. It felt like Nikita had been gone for a lifetime. I didn't need this right now.

"Today please," she said with irritation.

"It's a wolf thing," I tried my luck.

"You wish," she caught me. "I want to hear it. Now."

"It's called imprinting. It's a way we find our..." soul mate will not work with this girl, "Life partners," I think I found one just as bad, "Sometimes."

"How does it work?" she got clinical.

"The easiest thing to liken it to is love at first sight," as soon as I said that she folded her arms and I saw her fingers dig into the flesh near her elbows. "Nikita, say something." I pleaded.

"What do you want me to say?" she looked genuinely at a loss. "The love at first sight thing? I get that a lot. I'm a living, breathing, barbie doll." she said with a certain level of disgust.

"It's nothing like that," I stopped that train of thought. "What I feel for you is real."

"How does it work?... Selection, how does it work?" she was being more reasonable than I'd come to expect. But the answer to her current question was usually the bringer of trouble.

"It's genetic," I said as confidently as I dared, which wasn't very much. She laughed. I was not too sure it was a good sign. "We think."

"Your genes have atrocious taste, " she laughed, "Doesn't your heart have a choice in this? Don't you have a choice in this?"

"I do, I've already made it. I chose you, Nikita, from my soul," even I did not see that one coming but truer words had never been spoken.

"Is it just your choice?" she looked at me with squinted eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean the most intimate relationship I've ever had was with a train," she said, "And then I met you. Either I have a choice in this or someone is pulling my strings really hard. I think I like that even less than the idea of someone pulling yours."

"What do you feel?" I asked her.

"That's helpful," she tipped her head with a sarcastic little smile, "I've never felt whatever the fuck it is I'm feeling." she exclaimed then put her face in her hands. I walked over and put my hand on her shoulder and slid it down her back. I could hear her heat accelerate.

"How does it feel when I touch you?" I asked in her ear. "I'm not just talking about the desire. There's something else. I know there is. What is it?"

"It feels right," she said without looking up, "I feel something akin to peace... belonging... I don't know." she looked up in frustration.

"You wouldn't feel that if you didn't want this. You chose me too. That's why you practically molested me when we met," that got a laugh out of her, "That's why you came back. Ironically, it's why you left in the first place. It's why you kept our baby," I slid my hand to her stomach, "It's why there has to be a way for us."

She ran her hand from my face into my practically non-existent hair. Her kiss was slow, almost innocent. "I have to go interrogate Emily about growing human beings." she said into my mouth.

"You've been teasing me all morning," I held her face and pulled back. "I say that as a warning." her heart sped up but she got up anyway.

"It sounded like an invitation to me," she sauntered to the door. I hung back and watched her walk to the door. "Stop looking at my ass and get over here or I will leave you behind." she said without turning around.

"It's a beautiful piece of flesh and you're my girl," I said, unashamed of being caught. Her head fell back and I just knew she was rolling her eyes. "The bikes have got to go," I said as I got behind her.

"The erection has to go too," she said in a melodic voice, "And I'll make us suitable for parenthood after I've done my research and introduced you to my family."

"You're not riding this thing till then," I said too low for her ears. "I can live with that," I kissed her cheek and put on her helmet. We got to Sam's place and Nick asked Emily if they could take a walk. Apparently she wanted to do her research without an audience.

"What's that about?" Sam asked as we watched them make their way towards the beach. Emily knew enough about werewolf senses to know that they didn't allow for privacy at this range. Nick was fast enough to know not to talk until Emily gave the go ahead.

"Research," I answered. "What's going on?" I asked when I heard loud familiar banter.

"The rest of the guys wanted to know exactly why you disappeared for two months and lost twenty pounds," Jacob informed me. "And really, they had to meet her at some point."

"Not like this," I shook my head knowing I was arguing in vain, Nick had three PhDs. It was bloody obvious she liked knowing things. "What is this? Let's get Nikita angry at Embry day?"

"It'll be fine," Sam touched my shoulder, "She hasn't dumped you today. She seems very reasonable."

"You're still going to pay for that," I vowed. Nikita was about to meet the pack. She wasn't entirely comfortable with even the _idea_ of werewolves. There was still so much she had to get used to but the guys were having none of that. She was going to know everything by sundown today. God, I need a break.


	9. Chapter 9

"Look at the jugs on her," Brady said with a glassy stare. I slapped the back of his head hard enough to bend him over.

"You were asking for it," Sam said when Brady looked to him for aid.

"But she has a _really_ nice pair of eyes," Collin laughed. A few members of the pack joined him. The younger pack members were now just as bad as the older smart mouths. I was glad they weren't part of the group that answered to Jacob. He was a good alpha but he let us get away with murder.

"Those are mine," I pointed as she approached.

"They're going to give sustenance to someone else. You're not touching them for a while after that person arrives," Sam scoffed. He'd just opened himself to so much shit with that one so the first thing to be said afterwards came as a surprise to me.

"You don't tell us anything," the kids complained. Patrols weren't all that necessary when you had someone who could see the future on your side. The Cullens were no longer in Forks but they stayed close enough. It's not completely impossible that someone from Forks would go to Portland but I doubt vampires could be found if they wanted to avoid it. It was easy to trust them with Nessie here most of the time and her connection to Jake.

"We're always the last to know," Brady threw his hands up.

"Nobody knew," I rolled my eyes at this argument but I was glad they weren't discussing my woman's chest anymore, "I found out yesterday and the guys who came to see if I was still _alive_ found out this morning."

"If we hadn't stopped patrols we wouldn't have this problem," Collin mumbled this time. Collin and Brady felt strongly about being treated like children. Seth was laughing quietly behind them, looking at the wall as though to remain inconspicuous.

"If we hadn't stopped patrols Sam's daughter wouldn't recognize him and none of us would have high school diplomas," I sighed, "And we haven't seen a vampire since the Mafia went back to Italy."

Everyone fell silent when Emily and Nikita walked in and looked at us through narrow eyes. I smiled timidly at her. "Has no one noticed how alike you all look?" she asked with a frown.

"I'm sure they have but no one's suspicious," I answered. "Let me introduce you to the rest of the guys." I stepped to her side and named the pack members she had not met. Leah had long moved away and wasn't here more than twice a year, it wasn't that time yet.

"When's the baby due?" Seth asked, his normal cheery self.

"January twenty second," Nick answered with a smile. She was studying him like he was odd in some way. "I'm having a look inside in three weeks or so." she must like Seth, "And no, they aren't usually this big," she looked down at her breasts then over to Brady. He looked down and blushed. I'd set him straight on the comments but I couldn't blame him for looking. They certainly got my attention. She put her finger under her nose as if she were thinking then said, "I can show you the pictures if you like."

"That would be great," his smile broadened. This was unexpected but certainly not unwelcome. Nikita put her hand to her throat. "I think we better go," she said with a grimace.

"Not till you eat," I rubbed her back. Emily, having just gone through pregnancy, brought her some dried fruit and other healthy sounding foods to raise her blood sugar and keep her from throwing up. I was suddenly so glad Sam and Emily had a child. I wouldn't know all this otherwise.

She didn't complain, sulk or resist. "This is just the beginning," Emily said both jokingly and comfortingly.

"I like thinking about the beginning. It distracts me from thinking about the end," she chewed, "About the part where I have to push a ten pound person out of a very small orifice."

"That part's not all that fun," Emily mumbled.

"It's something you should not see," Sam shook his head at me.

"We raced to Canada that one night so yeah, that ship has kinda sailed," Paul said with a grimace.

"Raced to Canada huh?" Emily folded her arms.

"This is why nobody invites us to meet their girlfriend," Seth said under his breath.

"Anyone want to out Embry?" Nikita said down next to Seth. "About anything?"

"He sucked his thumb till he was twelve," Seth whispered. She burst into laughter.

"Thank you, Seth," I cut in before he made me look even worse.

"That's it?" she frowned, "That's the very worst thing you can tell me?"

"He's pretty boring," Jacob supplied. There was a knock on the door.

"Are we expecting someone?" Jared looked around.

"Everyone's here," Sam did a little role call.

"Please don't all go to the door at once," Emily got up, "We don't want to overwhelm our guest." Of course now everyone was looking at the door. We looked like an army. It was an instinctual thing. Everyone took the best position for defence. It was just the way we were. Emily opened the door. A man stood in the doorway, tall, blond, green eyes that went straight to Nikita. "Can I help you?" Emily asked.

"Yes," he looked around her, "By letting me in."

Nick put her hands on her head and groaned. "My own dad and my brother haven't

been able to track me down in a year. How the hell did you find me, Eric?"

"I followed my heart," he stepped around Emily. I'm not gonna like this guy.

"Eric," she said after she blew out a breath. "Let's take a walk you and I." she touched

my shoulder apologetically.

"This is him?" he pointed to me with disgust, "This is the guy? You walked away from

me, from us, for seven feet of candy?"

"Don't," Jacob put a restraining arm on my shoulder.

"Really, don't," Nick put her hand up. "Eric, let's go outside. I want to kick your ass for that comment and I want to apologize for what I did to you but not here. We have an audience, not a single person here will be on your side. You have a big mouth. How about we go somewhere where you can't piss off everyone in a ten yard radius."

"That's somewhere where there are no people in a ten mile radius," he smiled for some reason I couldn't know.

"You've still got it," she smiled too. What the hell?

"Do you?" he suddenly became surly. Everyone in the room looked as confused by this as I was. It suddenly dawned on me that there was a whole relationship here that I knew nothing about. They were speaking a language only they could understand. She nodded. "You've lost your... as they say, mojo," he pulled her panties out of his pocket.

"That's not what it looks like," she laughed then turned to him.

"Get out Eric," he supplied, "I'll explain this better without your presence in this

room... or that of my thong." She opened her mouth to speak but again the words

came out of his, "I love that I can have a conversation with you without speaking. It's

like having a mouth piece outside of my body, much easier than duplication."

Okay, this had to stop, "I'm not gonna stop just because you don't understand," he

pointed to me.

"Eric is a walking stats computer. He crunches data on facial expressions, any

language and the frequency with which the words and phrases are used in that

language and place and then he predicts every sentence that could possibly come

out of your mouth. He does this for fun. He got stuffed into a lot of lockers," she

pushed him, "We'll be right back."

"God hates me," I stood with my forehead on the window, "He just hates me."

"Whatever they had is nothing to what you guys have and will have," Jared came up behind me. "You're perfect for her."

"I don't doubt that," I stood back and watched their perfect ease as they walked away

together. "But can you honestly tell me you can't see that he's perfect for her too?"

The room was silent. Yeah, God hates me.


	10. Chapter 10

"You've stopped playing," he looked at her hand.

"I've stopped doing a lot of things," she looked at her hand in his.

"What happened to my favourite overachiever?" he stroked her cheek.

"You're not eavesdropping on them," Emily shook her head.

"Of course we are," was she kidding?

"Well I can't hear," she sulked, "Sam," he went to stand behind her.

"This is really wrong," he whispered before repeating the conversation to her.

"She decided to change her field," Nick answered.

"What field does wandering the world fall into? I can never remember that one," his hand clenched around hers.

"Same field as stealing underwear," she put out her hand.

"This is the pair you gave me," he lifted it to her face and snatched it away when she tried to take it.

"Would you stop waving my underwear around?" she looked briefly over her shoulder.

"It's mine so I reserve the right to do with it as I please," he stuffed it into his pocket. "You can have it back..."

"What do you want?" she sighed.

"Actually it's something you want. I just thought you needed a little motivation. Come on," he walked towards a truck with a glossy paint job.

"Forgive me for being sceptical but you did once give me a dead rat, a live snake and almost set my hair on fire," she didn't follow.

"I was eight," he leaned against the hood.

"Well-meaning and misguided," she followed.

"And in love with you," he added.

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes.

"I've been in love with you since the day you kicked Luis in the shin and gave me your red sucker," he pulled her hair gently.

"That was your forth birthday," she leaned against the hood with him.

"By a show of hands, how many people can remember back to the age of four?" Jacob petitioned. No hands went up.

"It must be a doctor thing," I mumbled.

"What?" a few confused voices inquired.

"Later," I was busy eavesdropping here.

"I was a very committed four year old," he argued, "I did bring my father to your house and ask you to marry me. I even brought a wedding present."

"That's so cute," Emily earned a pinch from Sam.

"I loved that frog," Nick smiled.

"I take it back. That's gross," Emily was not a fan of slippery and slimy.

"What was really great was the first time we got to share a lab unsupervised," he stepped closer to her.

"Before your experiment with lasers and steak went horribly wrong and we had to go back to training wheels," she got sulky.

"You spilled liquid nitrogen on my bug collection. Your sulking privileges are terminated," this was starting to annoy me.

"So you travelled two thousand four hundred and eighty four miles to fight over lab accidents?" she sighed.

"So I have to get to the point, huh?" he brushed his fingers across his knuckles.

"I assume you came here with a purpose either than a history lesson so yes," she nodded, "And I have Huntington's not Alzheimer's."

"You need to come home," he cupped her face. "We're all miserable without you. No, we'd have to cheer up to be miserable."

"Tomorrow," she cut in.

"That was easier than I thought," he dropped his hands.

"Now comes the hard part of this conversation," she put her head on his chest, "The reason I'm going home."

"You want to introduce Mr Universe to your dad? Break a leg. I'm sure Max will be so happy you're home he'll welcome the beef with open arms," Eric hugged her.

"Your money is on Ian's hatred of him," she guessed.

"And my ingenuity," he laughed. She laughed with him.

"You're going to...," Paul tried to think of where Nikita lived.

"Boston," I supplied, "Apparently."

"That's not the only reason, is it?" he kept his arms around her, "Tell me."

"I'm pregnant," she said into his chest.

"I seem to remember going to a tubal ligation," he pulled back and looked at her.

"Yes well I don't have enough time to sue any doctors," she went back to leaning against the hood.

"You're really pregnant?" he took a few steps backwards.

"I'm really pregnant," she scratched her head as though she were hearing this for the first time.

"Then why the shocked expression?" he grabbed her arms and levelled their eyes.

"You're my best friend. Nothing's really true until I tell you," she put her hands on his shoulders.

"You know, I never thought the day would come when I would find that so abhorrent," he turned and walked towards the car door.

"Eric," the tears started falling. I closed the curtain. This suddenly seemed very private. "I'm freaking out. You know me. I live with my dad and his many, many servants. I don't even know how to wash a pair of socks. I'm useless so I'm freaking out. Is it so bad that I need my best friend?"

"If you need me so much why did I have to violate every privacy law ever put on paper to find you?" a door opened and slammed shut.

"I was coming home in a week... to tell Max," I heard her say.

"So you're sure you're keeping it," Eric saw.

"Get away from the damn windows please," I went to sit down by the door.

"This is officially not entertaining anymore," Jared closed the last curtain. It was more of a symbolic gesture than anything else. We could still hear everything.

"I'm keeping it," she lowered her voice too.

"Where would I even stay?" he sighed.

"This is gonna sound like a really bad idea at first," she started.

"No," he knew exactly what she going to suggest. And it was a horrible idea.

"Please."

"No."

"Why not?"

"We had something, you and I. And even though you dumped me, in a note, and left town, I still love you. Asking me to live with you and the father of your child is cruel."

"But would you do it for me?"

"And that's selfish."

"There are a lot of new things about me. Being a brat is not one of them."

"Separate bedrooms. He so much as rubs your back in my presence and I will leave."

"Deal."

"I'm confused," Brady spoke, "Three seconds ago she was kicking him out and he wanted to stay. Now he wants to leave and she's begging him not to?"

"She needs him," I just knew.

"She has you," Sam didn't like this idea either.

"My point still stands," she felt like she'd been thrown in at the deep end. Something familiar was in order. Even if the familiar intimidated me.

"Pending his agreement. No man wants the ex in the house." Eric was saying outside, "Not to mention an annoying one with ridiculous terms."

"He'll understand that I need you."

"Because you know each other so well."

"You can make all the snide remarks you want."

"Was it him? Was he the one who..."

"Yes."

"Now you know I can't live with him, right?"

"Six days Eric."

"And four on the train."

"He's going to be a permanent fixture in my life. Can you meet him before you hate him?"

"That boat sailed six sentences ago but I will be civil, for you. Let's go."

"What about my present?"

"I stole a project for you but now might not be the time."

"I'm not an invalid."

"You're not a robot either."

"Fine," Nick walked through the door and yawned.

"When last did you sleep?" Eric asked before her mouth was even closed.

"Can't I yawn in peace?" she rolled her eyes.

"She had a good night's sleep but insisted on jogging this morning," I shed whatever light I could, "Embry Call," I extended my hand.

"What?" Eric burst into laughter.

"Don't shake his hand," Nikita muttered quickly.

"Eric Ehrlichmann," he said after he'd stopped laughing. That's when I had to laugh.

"You have a name like that and somehow you think you can laugh at mine?"

Nikita yawned again. "Maybe I should take you home," she'd gotten drained out of nowhere.

"On a motorcycle, are you insane?" Eric was annoying but he had a point.

"If only there were a truck outside," Collin was as polite as always.

"On that sarcastic note, Eric's staying with us," I was told.

"Because that living arrangement isn't awkward at all," Emily disappeared into the nursery. What was with all the sarcasm today.

"Let's take you home," I put my arm around Nick and bid farewell to the guys.

"I'll meet you wonderful people when Nick is better rested," Eric turned for the door.

"Don't lay it on so thick then," Paul said a little louder than any tactful person would.

"Play nice," Nick pushed Eric out of the door.

"You're getting your ass handed to you by the best friend," Jared felt it necessary to tell me.

"He has twenty five years on me," I followed them out of the door. I felt each and every one of them as she curled up in his lap and went to sleep with her head tucked under his chin.

"I'm taking her back to Boston," he stroked her back.

"Over my dead body," I said in a calm tone, keeping my eyes on the road. I knew he was talking about a permanent move.

"She wants to go home. She's had her adventure. Maybe being pregnant is what's grounded her. But this is not where she planned to put down her roots. If you want to be as permanent a fixture in her life as she thinks then you need to think about where you'll put yours," he was calm and smooth, like he'd thought about this before.

Would Nikita agree to stay in La Push or did she want to go home? Would I pack up my life and go with her if she didn't want to stay here? Was that even an option for me? Eric brought up more questions than I had answers for.


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey," I walked into Sam's.

"So you're really gonna spend four days on a train with Eric?" Sam asked. Nick's ex-boyfriend and I hadn't exactly hit it off. Big surprise.

"The alternative is letting them take the train together, taking a flight and spending four days alone with her father and brother," I told him.

"Scared of leaving your girl alone with the competition?" Paul taunted. In all honesty Eric was giving me a hell of a run for my money. Nick was attached to him in an almost unnatural way.

"Please," I feigned nonchalance. Eric intimidated me but it was more about his emotional relationship with Nikita than anything else.

"I understand," the idiot didn't stop, "You don't wanna think about him tapping that all these years."

"Paul," Sam used his warning tone.

"He's never touched her," I took the bait like an idiot.

"He's touched her panties," Paul never knew when to stop.

"She gave them to him when he was going to do research in the North Pole," I rolled my eyes at him.

"Because a parka wasn't appropriate," he laughed.

"My sentiments exactly," I mumbled, "But geeks are strange beings and I came here to say goodbye, not to discuss my girlfriend and her ex boyfriend. Where is everybody anyway?"

"Surprise visit from Nessie," Paul answered. That explained it. Nessie was one of those cheerful people no rational person can stand initially because we believe no one can possibly be that happy but once she got under your skin she was hard to stay away from. That and the fact that she was bossy and her husband was our boss. Needless to say, there was some friction between her and Sam and of course Paul. "And, prepare to wince," he continued, "She brought Alice Cullen."

I had to laughed, "I pity you guys."

"You're meeting the father of the little girl you corrupted," Sam reminded me.

"She's twenty nine for God's sake ," Paul slapped his forehead.

"She's still her father's little girl," Sam rocked Stephanie's cradle.

"And she was his innocent the last time he saw her," I realised her father would hate me forever, I know Sam would.

"No woman of almost thirty years could be even close to innocent," Paul smiled. I just looked at him. "Lair!" he threw at me. I didn't answer so he went on, "No one is innocent at twenty nine," he smiled.

"No one but my girl," I couldn't help but smile.

"Liar," they both exclaimed.

"Uhm," I was never much of a liar, never needed to be.

"You're not telling me that she was a virgin," Paul thought it was funny. I just stayed neutral.

"No fucking way," Sam used his cuss for the year.

"Way," I didn't wanna lie. And maybe I wanted to brag just a little.

"You said he dated her for most of her life," Sam tried to get it right.

"Never touched her," I expended my honesty.

"Wait a minute," Paul put his hands up like a traffic cop, "You're telling me that she's a virgin?" I didn't answer.

"She's pregnant moron," I sidestepped.

"You know what I mean," he rolled his eyes.

"I'm not discussing this with you guys," I wanted to seem above it all but I couldn't help the smirk.

"No way," Sam exclaimed in the lowest volume possible.

"You did not just tell us that you deflowered a twenty nine year old woman!" Paul folded his hands.

"She spent her time concentrating on physics and engineering and French and the most patient man this side of heaven," I explained.

"Twenty nine year old virgin," Paul couldn't believe it, "Didn't she go to college?"

"I did," Nick came though the door, "When I was twelve," she went past us and straight into the bathroom.

"Great," Paul said over the sound of vomiting.

"Perfect," Sam glared at me, "I was missing the smell of vomit in the morning. And did she really just say twelve?"

"She really just said twelve. And I planned this trip on schedule," Eric stood in the doorway with his hands in his pocket.

"No one can throw up on a schedule," I reminded him. "Except maybe you," I thought out loud. "Not everyone feels the need to plan every movement of every day."

"You want to talk about the negative aspects of planning while the pregnant woman you barely know is regurgitating the breakfast we had to bully her into eating three minutes ago?" he asked as he walked across the room.

"You know she doesn't like that," I grabbed his arm. Doing things to make Nikita happy was a reflex. I had avoided physical contact with Eric for six days. It was harder than I'd thought. He was the single most annoying person to ever walk the face of this earth and everyday I wanted to strangle him.

"You're flying solo," he threw his car keys at me, "I don't want Nikita catching whatever it is that you have."

"You are not quarantining me you bloody hypochondriac," I threw the keys back at him.

"Hypochondriac," he smiled, "Big word for a straight c average."

Sam and Paul looked back and forth between us. "I'm not doing this with you right now," I decided not to engage.

"Just when I thought this was getting good," Paul was disappointed. The toilet flushed and Nikita gargled.

"Is she going to use the entire bottle?" Sam mumbled.

"Fuck you," I said under my breath. Opening my mouth about my senses may not have been the best idea. Nick had been crazy about hygiene ever since she found out I could smell someone hours after they'd left a place.

"Nikita," Eric called, "Get your expanding first trimester ass out here. You can't put this off. You're starting to show."

"Fuck off," she mumbled in the bathroom. I heard fabric move against skin. She came out of the bathroom. "I can do this," she tried to seem confident but her eyes gave it away.

"We can do this," Eric and I said at the same time.

"Stop acting like the supportive boyfriend," I huffed.

"Why would I do a silly thing like that?" he asked, "After all, I am the supportive boyfriend. You're the phase I'm waiting for her to outgrow."

"Eric," I warned.

"Down boy," I got warned.

"You might want to repeat that," Eric carried on, "He did take four years to get through high school."

"I take issue with that," Paul spoke up.

"I care so much," Eric's voice dripped of honey. It just accentuated the sarcasm. I shook my head at Paul. There was no cure for a hot head.

"I need to pee," Nick stomped to the bathroom.

"Nikita," Eric threw his hands up and let them fall to slap his sides.

"She's going to tell her father she got knocked up by a grease monkey," I tried to speak his language, "Give her a minute."

"She's not going to take a minute," he ran his fingers through his thick blond hair. As predicted she didn't come out of the bathroom. Twenty minutes later four guys were standing at the bathroom door and one girl was on the other side of said door, refusing to come out.

"You need to get out of there before someone breaks down my bathroom door," Sam didn't have the most delicate touch but delicate hadn't worked and when Paul threatened to break down the door she came to sit directly in front of it.

"Eric," Nikita called with her face pressed against the wood.

"Yeah," he stuck his face to the wood opposite hers.

"Are all the measurable dimensionless parameters that characterize the physical universe calculable in principle or are some merely determined by historical or quantum mechanical accident and incalculable?" she asked him.

"Uh oh," Eric put his hand over his eyes.

"What is it?" I knelt next to him.

"She does this when she freaks out," he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder.

"What exactly is this?" I was losing my patience with him.

"This is her asking me a question I can't answer," he told me.

"I'm sorry, I seem to remember you making it a point to tell me everyday for the last week that you're more suited for her than me because you can offer her more mental stimulation," I hissed, grabbing a handful of his hair.

"Your manners leave much to be desired," he swatted ineffectually at my hand, "Not to mention your grasp of the English language."

"My pregnant girlfriend has locked herself in the bathroom and we're going to miss the stupid train you two wanted to take," I got to my feet dragged him up by the neck, "Tell me something useful. Now."

"It's an unsolved physics problem. I can't give her the answer because no one knows it," he stared me down until I let him go, "When she found out she had Huntington's she tried to explain the Baryon asymmetry which is a phenomenon that has no clear scientific explanation. It's what she does when she's overwhelmed."

"She's been planning this all week," I couldn't understand the sudden panic, "She's been on the phone with her father."

"She called him Daddy," Eric seemed to think he was pointing out something obvious, "She calls her father by that hideous nickname Ian gave him and Maximillian when they fight. Daddy, she uses when she's anticipating unpleasantness."

"Eric, go stand over there," I pointed towards the living room. He took one look at me and decided comply.

"Nick, I need you to cover your face," I said through the door.

"What the hell are you going to do?" Sam asked.

"Nothing," I lied then I punched through the door.

"What the fuck?" Nick and Sam exclaimed. I got a good grip on the door and ripped out a chunk of it. The sting of splinters came and went in the same second. Thank goodness the cheapskates made internal doors mostly hollow.

"Son of a bitch," Sam swore through gritted teeth when the baby started crying. Two sets of footsteps came towards us as Sam's retreated.

"Stupid son of a bitch," Paul slapped the back of my head as he walked past me.

"Hey," he picked up Andrew and Jackson just before they rounded the corner into the hall.

"What's all that noise?" Andy asked.

"Your uncle Embry is doing some remodelling," Paul understated.

"Can we watch?" Jack struggled against his father's grasp.

"No," Paul walked back into the room they'd been sleeping in and kept them occupied with something really noisy. I didn't wanna know. I finished my work on the door. Nick was sitting on the edge of the tub.

"What the fucking hell is wrong with you?" she tapped her foot.

"You," I threw down the last piece of door, "And Eric. You and Eric together. He's overshadowing me in the protective father-to-be department because he knows every fucking thing there is to know about pregnancy, about you. And you know what?" it was all coming out today, "He's completely eclipsed me in the boyfriend department. You're like an old married couple but instead of finishing each other's sentences you've perfected the art of communicating in absolute silence. He's more age appropriate and on top of all this, you told me you've never had a boyfriend."

All my frustration vanished as soon as I'd gotten it all out. "Sit down," she patted the enamel.

"Sorry if I scared you," I sat down and put my hands in my lap. It was stupid to pull a door to pieces because I was feeling insecure.

"I never called him my boyfriend," she had the thousand mile stare, "We never had such words in our vocabulary but in retrospect, boyfriend might have been a useful word. He was the guy who went to cooking classes, and massage classes, and did my ironing while I got a PhD in French literature because I thought it made me less of a nerd." That last part made me laugh. "I am aware of how ridiculous that it is," she slapped my shoulder and laughed, "But Eric was the guy who folded my wardrobe, played golf with Max and hijacked a military satellite to find me."

"What is it that you're trying to tell me?" I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't good.

"You're the love of my life," she put her hands at the base of my skull, "You're the love of my life but Eric is my soul mate."

It wasn't supposed to be this way. I shut my eyes and covered my face but I couldn't shut this information out. It was suffocating me.

"Not that kind of soul mate," she yelled.

"What?" I wasn't processing any of this.

"It's not a romantic thing," she started her explanation, "I tried to have sex with him a few times but it was weird, there really is no other word. Rest assured, he is not that kind of soul mate. He's..." she searched for an accurate description, "He keeps me true, straight, and he's the person I want to whisper things to."

"What the fuck am I? A sperm donor?" I didn't want to lose it right now but this was going really badly.

"No," she tilted her head to look me in the eye. Her hair swept into her face and she tucked it behind her ear, slowly. I didn't know whether she was trying to sooth me or make me crazy, "You're the love of my life," she smiled, "You're the reason I came back to the sodden Olympic Peninsula. You're the person I want to whisper about and I've never whispered."

"But am I the person you want to introduce to your father?" I asked. "Because you did just freak out."

"I'm a twenty nine year old little girl," she answered, "That's what I am to my father: his only little girl. Now I'm pregnant."

"Your father sounds really supportive," I put my arm around her in comfort.

"That's not it," Eric appeared in the ragged doorway.

"What is it?" I asked him. He was surprised by my polite tone.

"It's you, it's me, it's Max, it's Ian. It's all of us," he navigated through the splinters and chunks on the floor, "Now that she's pregnant, we have to discuss things like where you two will live and if it's here, how the rest of us will see the baby when she's dead, whether or not you two will get married because it factors into who'll make the medical decisions when her mental capacity is diminished, how you'll take care of your wife and child when you have to feed them both. I could go on but I'm starting to get a little depressed and it's a little early for that."

"It's time for everyone to accept the fact that I'm dying," Nick rubbed my back, "It's time to accept, not ignore, the fact that I am dying. And I fear that none of you are ready for that."

"We'll never be ready for that," he kissed her forehead, "Max barely sees you as an adult," he squatted and levelled his eyes with her, "He can't deal with even idea of your death."

"Have you picked up no social skills while following me all over the green planet?" she expressed my sentiments. All the things he just said were true but none of them were comforting. We were all thinking it, maybe not at this very moment but we were all thinking it. Every last one of us knew better than to say it.

"It's the blue planet," he corrected.

"Case in point," I rolled my eyes. He was just not getting it.

"See?" Nick put her forehead to mine, "You're already starting to read my mind." I felt my heart warming.

"I just threw up a little in my mouth," Eric pushed us apart, "Move," he pulled Nick to her feet then watched her walk away. "Nicely done," he said grudgingly, "I'm ecstatic that there's someone else that can calm her down and cheer her up. I'm just hiding it deep down inside so you don't get overwhelmed."

"Are we bonding now?" I stood up.

"Fuck you," he walked out of the room.

"Say goodbye to everyone for me," I walked up to Sam.

"Get the fuck out of my house," he said in a sweet voice with a smile his daughter was currently sucking on a bottle in his immediate line of sight.

"Fuck seems to be the word of the day," I backed out.

"You're riding in the back," Eric declared, "She can't catch whatever it is you have."

"Being a werewolf isn't contagious," she got into the back of the double cab with me.

"Nikita," I hissed at her.

"He's never going to leave," she told me as Eric checked the tires and engine and the oil and the blah and the blah and the blah, "He's going to raise this baby with us," she put her hand on her small bump, "He needs to know."

"There are rules," I informed her, "Laws even, that govern these things."

"You're shitting me," her jaw dropped.

"Nikita get in the front seat!" Eric wasn't taking any nonsense.

"He won't stop," she whispered, "If we do not tell him you will never touch me again," she opened the door and got out.

"Look who doesn't fit through the window between the cabs any more," Eric joked with a very sour looking Nikita.

"Si vous ne fermez pas votre bouche at laissez-moi seul, je vais te faire de mal," she pulled his hair and hissed in his ear.

"Are there subtitles for those of us who do not speak the language of love?" I asked.

"Shut up," she yelled, "Nobody say a single word."

"Hormone surges," Eric mumbled, "Fun." He got a smack to the ear. We were in for six very long months but right now I was more concerned about the open-ended visit to Boston.


	12. Chapter 12

As we drove up the road to the Nick's home I was expecting to find a moat. When she said her father was rich I was expecting... well, not this. This was a fucking castle.

"He'll like you," Nick rubbed my shoulder.

"I got his daughter pregnant," I pointed out, "It's practically a law for him to hate me."

"Satisfying as it is," I could hear Eric smile from the driver's seat, "I did not expected the muscle to quiver."

"Shut up Eric," we said at the same time. We laughed too, I stopped when the car pulled up and I saw her big ass father standing there like a general with his lieutenant, her brother. Eric laughed as he got out of the car. He hugged the king and prince then stood beside them like family but then again that's what he was. He was the guy who'd been with Nikita through everything. She and I stepped out of the same side of the car. Her hand curled around mine.

"Daddy," she said in a sweet, innocent voice.

"Nikita," he hugged her so tightly I had to close my eyes to stop myself from pulling him off her. "You're home," he looked at her with glistening eyes.

"I'm home," she laughed with emotion, "Ian," she opened her arms. He looked at her like she had three heads. She wrapped her arms around him. He wrapped his around her while looking at me like I had three hundred heads.

"Who are you and what have you done with my frigid sister?" he pulled back from her. She turned from him with a disgusted little sound.

"Daddy, this is Embry," she pulled me closer.

"Good morning sir," I stretched my hand out, trying to be stern without being intimidating. This was the one time being almost seven feet tall and nothing but muscle was not in my favour. He shook my hand while raising an eyebrow at Nick. She looked at him with a scared smile.

"Well," he let go of my hand, "He's not Eric."

"Maximilian," Nick said in an angry tone.

"Please, come inside," he smiled at me. It wasn't exactly the start I'd been hoping for but it wasn't my worst nightmare either. Ian kept looking at me and shaking his head. Eric was chuckling under his breath. It was so quiet I thought he was breathing until I saw his shaking shoulders. The silence was uncomfortable. Nikita's hand kept brushing mine like she wanted me to hold it and a second after I did she'd pull it away.

After what felt like forever in absolute silence we were seated on opposing sides of a table. This had the feel of an interrogation. Nikita held my hand under the table. She looked scared. Her heart was racing, her pupils were dilated and she was gripping my hand. Eric, Ian and Maximilian were facing us. "What's your last name?" Ian pulled out something between a laptop and a phone.

"Call," I answered. I almost told him not to bother googling me then I remembered that Eric found Nikita in La Push when she didn't want to be found. "You can ask me whatever you want to know."

"How old are you?" her father studied me. Eric made a stupid, annoying sound at the back of his throat.

"Twenty three," I answered. Ian gasped then he started laughing.

"Shut up," Nick threw him a look. He kept laughing but he did it in silence.

"I'm a mechanic but I'm also a tree-hugger," I went on, "My mother died when I was fifteen. I don't know who my father is and I was basically raised by an entire reservation. I became a full time mechanic straight out of high school. The sum of my estate is a three bedroom house and a motorcycle."

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" Maximilian cut into my life story.

"I..." I looked at Nick. She gave me a beautiful smile, like no one else was in the room. "I'd like to discuss them with her first."

"Where did you find this guy?" her brother sounded genuinely curious.

"What part of 'Shut Up' did you not understand?" Nick snarled at him.

"I'm sorry it's just, it's absurd," Ian gave a harsh little laugh, "You brought home the incredible hulk and he sounds like the Backstreet boys. It's romantic and if you believed in romance I would be happy for you but you're not that girl and trying to be won't make you happy. The only reason I didn't cook Eric and eat him is that you two were so in sync. And let's face it sis' the thing that drew you to him was his drive. Your white knight," he pointed at me, "Has no ambition."

"What do you know about ambition?" she asked, "An IQ of 173 and the only degree you have is in getting thrown out of college."

"I'm a simple man," I stepped in, "And I'm not Eric," I addressed her father, "But your daughter, your sister, wanted me to meet you. This isn't a joke. She's not an unreasonable woman. The very least you could do is give me a chance."

Ian tilted his head so far to one side it rested on his shoulder. I felt like an exhibit. Mr Dixon simply got up and left the table. "Father," Nick got to her feet, "Please," she sounded was on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry," he turned to her, "But I am hurt and I am mad."

"I didn't leave to hurt you," her voice shook. I massaged her palm with my thumb. I didn't want to contribute to the conversation. It felt like an intrusion to even listen to it.

"It's not that you left," he came back to the table, "It's not even that I knew everything about your life for twenty six years then I was cut out of it. Its..." he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "How can I trust that you're happy when you come home with just the kind of man you swore up and down you wanted nothing to do with-"

"People change," she interrupted in a desperate voice.

"I'd find that so much easier to believe if you weren't pregnant," he took off his eyeglasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Son of a bitch," she looked at Eric.

"Not it," he shook his head.

"The expansion your hips told me, so did the top that's a size too big and the bra that's a size too small," he pointed as he talked, "Your face is green and you keep putting your hand over your mouth but what really gives it away is that for the first since we brought you home you looked at me and you were afraid."

She looked down and squeezed my hand under the table.

"You're pushing thirty, you have all the education ten people would ever need, you've been published and you've built every gadget you ever wanted to build. You'll never want for anything," his voice was gentler, "I would be thrilled that you're having a baby, if I knew it was what you really wanted."

"It is what I want," she walked behind my chair, "And this is who I want it with."

Eric got up and walked around the table with a pained expression. "I'll see you in the morning," he whispered to Nikita in a hoarse, grated voice then kissed her.

"You'll come back, right?" she grabbed him as he left.

"I'll come back," he assured her. She took a while to let him go but she finally did. He bid farewell to her father and brother. Surprise, surprise, he didn't say a word to me.

"That isn't fair," Ian shook his head at Nick. She ran out of the room with her hand over her mouth.

"Is there any dried fruit in the house?" I got up, "It makes her feel better after she throws up and she tells me taking out the water concentrates the nutrients."

"Sit down," her father took a seat, "I'm sure she still remembers where everything is." I sat down and bit back a sigh. "How did you meet Nicky?"

"We worked together in a garage in La Push," I answered.

"When?"

"A few months ago," I was purposely vague.

"How far along is she?" his eyes became probing.

"It was sudden," I skipped to the point.

"How sudden?" his expression harshened.

"We've known each other almost as long as she's been pregnant," I admitted.

"Do you two understand the magnitude of what you're doing?" he slapped his forehead.

"Yes," I answered without thinking of it, "I think she's still in some shock but I think she'll have adjusted by the time the baby comes."

"So you think _you're_ prepared," he put his arms on the table and raised his brows at me.

"Mr Dixon I've raised two boys," I informed him. Paul's kids really were raised by a pack of wolves. Getting Rachel pregnant in high school was a smart move on his part but not nearly as genius as doing it again fifteen months later. Between a seventeen year old father, a pissed off grandfather in a wheelchair and a clueless first time mother they needed all the help they could possibly get.

"Oh?" he said when I didn't continue.

"My brother," I slipped, "A friend who's like a brother to me got his girlfriend pregnant in high school. He's an orphan, like me, and her mother died in the car accident that left her father crippled. Her brother's my age so I figured they needed all the help they could get."

"Aren't you the good Samaritan," Ian wasn't buying it. I didn't expect him to. No one helps out with their friend's baby and I couldn't explain further.

"Yes well I wasn't exactly chuffed when they had another son a little over two years later," I responded, "But I'm grateful now. I'm prepared."

"Embry," I could tell my name sounded strange to him, "My daughter is a twenty nine year old little girl so I'm a fairly idealistic man but even to me you sound too good to be true."

"Thank you," I took it as a compliment.

"Daddy," Nikita came back into the room, "I have an appointment," she twirled a strand of her hair, "Do you..." she gave him a questioning look.

"Of course," his face lit up, "Ian?" he looked at his son.

"No," Nikita glared at him.

"Nick," I turned to look at her. She signed something to Eric. Another thing about my brilliant girlfriend, she's fluent in sign language.

"Oh come on," he slapped his forehead. She responded in sign.

"Nikita," I tried to get her to remember that some of us did not know sign language.

"Who are you?" her brother asked, "Because you're certainly not Nicky."

She gave him a sign even I could understand, the finger. I smiled as I walked to her. "He's your brother," I put my hand under her chin, "He should be there."

"Fine," she walked out of the room.

"What was that about?" I felt entitled to ask.

"She's mad because I said she was frigid in front of you," it clearly made no sense to him. I must admit it made no sense to me either.

"You called her frigid in front of her boyfriend stupid," her father cleared it up for us.

"What did you do to my sister?" her brother wanted to know. I didn't know how to answer that.

"He got me pregnant," Nick came back into the room. This time she glared at me. "Now I'm having hormone surges and we're gonna be late."

**Doctor's office**

Nick lay on the bed next to the little tv screen. She gasped when the gel was squirted onto her stomach. "It's a little cold," the doctor said as he took a little device that looked like the mouse of a computer.

"Warning after the event, useful," she looked up at the screen.

"Sorry," he started moving it across her abdomen. She tightened her hand around mine. A picture appeared, not the grainy kind either. It was an actual picture, a video.

"Oh," her job dropped, "Oh my."

"Congratulations," I kissed her forehead, "It's a seahorse."

"If you look closely," the doctor redirected my attention to the screen, "You'll see that it's two seahorses."

"Oh," I looked again, "Twins," I looked to see her reaction. She turned her face away from me but I could tell she was crying. Nick didn't think like me or any person I knew but experience was educating me. Her brother was looking at the floor and her father was looking at me. "Look at me," I bent so that my face was level with hers, "Look at me Nikita," I went closer still. She sobbed but didn't turn. "There's a twenty five percent chance that they could both be born healthy."

"What kind of odds are those?" she said turned to look at me, sniffing.

"Generous ones," I held her hand again.

"_Twenty five percent_," she heaved.

"What are the odds that we're even having a baby, babies?" I asked her.

"You're comforting me with the Monte Carlo fallacy?" she pursed her lips. I must have been half asleep the day they taught that because my brain's summary of fallacies was 'things made out of bullshit'.

"I'm reminding you that you have a reason to hope," I put my hand on her stomach. It was slick from the gel, "Those are my kids in there," I moved my hand in circles, "So I want you to forget about things beyond your control and concentrate on being happy and growing little people."

"If you're trying to cheer me up," she smiled and wiped the tears, "You lost me at growing people inside my body," she put her hand over mine, "It's disconcerting."

"Dr Kiriakis," her father called. The doctor cleared his throat when we didn't remove our hands. She played with my gooey hand as the doctor brought the picture back. It was an amazing thing to witness.

"Shouldn't they be moving?" Nick asked. One leg went up in answer.

"Will you look at that?" her father stepped closer to the show.

"Shouldn't I be feeling that?" she asked the doctor without turning her head.

"Your baby's about the size of a lime," he answered, "Give it about a month. And give it another month before you kick down my door in tears."

"I'm gonna be someone's mom," she said in a dazed voice.

"Someone's hot, hot mom," I kissed her.

"Still here," her father reminded me.

"Sorry," I stood straight.

"You two are repugnant," Ian left the room.

"Could you two go home together?" she conned us with a smile, "I have to take my brother to lunch. Thanks," she kissed my lips and her father's cheek and left us standing there.

"How long should I expect them to be out?" I asked as we left the doctor's office.

"When he's that surly?" he assessed, "You can expect them to come back in an hour angry at each other or after dark, happy as clams."

"So it's a coin toss," I deduced. The coin fell on the side of my spending the entire afternoon and early evening being cross examined by Nick's father. By the time she got back I was lying to him about what my mechanic skateboard looked like. I wasn't about to tell him it had a half-naked tattooed blond cartoon on it.

"Oh look, they're bonding," Nick had her head rested on Ian's shoulder. It didn't look comfortable. She was just an inch shy of his height.

"What have you two been doing all day?" her father asked. I was curious too.

"Grand theft auto, burping contest, went to the park, talked about boys and played in a big room with colourful balls," she gave a brilliant but tired smile, "I'm beat," she yawned. She looked so cute.

"Embry offered to cook us all dinner," her father announced.

"Can I eat in bed?" she leaned against my chair, "I'm really tired."

"Sure," I got up and lifted her into my arms. She was so tired she didn't even argue. Her head fell onto my shoulder and her eyes closed.

"Maybe I'll cook dinner tomorrow," I whispered.

"Hey Call," her brother said as I passed him, "I need two favours from you. Cook a decent meal tomorrow and behave like you _weren't_ raised by a pack of wolves in front of my boyfriend... Start by wiping that shocked expression off your face."

"Uh, okay, uhm, I'll go now," I pulled Nick's body closer to mine.

"You didn't tell you two got back together," Maximilian talked to his son.

"That's because we didn't," he answered, "He's giving me an 'undeserved opportunity to show him that I can be mature and responsible because my sister vouched for me and for old time's sake'." I could tell he was quoting.

"Didn't I tell you my brother was gay?" Nikita said in a sleepy voice.

"No," I said a little louder than I meant to. I felt like such an ass. I had no problem with gay people but I was caught off guard and probably seemed homophobic or, at the very least, uncomfortable around them.

"Upstairs," she put her arms around my neck and pulled herself closer to me. I followed her directions till we were in her bedroom. One side of it was some kind of workspace. Besides the bed and the dressing table the room could have been a lounge. "You like it?" she fiddled with her hands.

"Yes," I smiled. I didn't know she could be so nervous.

"Gotta pee, again," she went to the bathroom. I followed her and stood at the door. "I can't go when you watch."

"Ahhh," I went to stand just outside the door rolling my eyes at the fact that she couldn't pee while I was in the bathroom. I went back inside when she was done. She was washing her hands, slightly bent over the sink. I stood behind her and ran my hand up the back of her thigh. She froze and I could hear her heart racing. "Look at me," I instructed then I held her hips when she tried to turn around, "In the mirror."

Her heart went faster still. I could see her pupils dilating, her chest rise and fall. She was breathing with her mouth open. I closed the distance between our bodies and pressed my erection into her ass. Her small gasp made me twitch. My hand circled to the front of her leg. I put the other one on the sink between hers and pulled her back sharply so she was bent over in front of me. "Keep your hands where they are," I dragged my hand up her back, lifting her top. A moan escaped her. Curling my body around hers I unbuckled her belt and undid her pants. "Do you like this top?" I asked in as restrained a voice as I could.

"Not if you don't," she breathed. At that I ripped it apart and threw it on the floor. She inhaled sharply and her eyes closed.

"I want you to watch me," I got on my knees and waited. She flipped her hair and looked down at me with smouldering eyes. I yanked her pants down with her underwear. "You're perfect," I curled my fingers and moved my hand up her inner thigh. The next sound that came out of her mouth bordered on a scream. "You like that?" I dragged my hand further up her leg.

"Yes," she threw her head back.

"Look at me," I gave her a light tap on the ass. She turned to me with her lip between her teeth. I clenched my jaw to keep from closing my eyes. Nothing gave me more pleasure than watching her enjoy what I was doing. Well, I could think of one thing and the mere thought made my jeans move. My hand reached the soft, light curls of her pubic hair. They were damp. I groaned. My member was throbbing. I made contact with her welcoming heat. This time I broke eye contact and sucked her thigh.

"Are ready for me?" I moved my hand back and forth between her legs.

"Ye..." she couldn't finish the word because at that point I pushed my middle finger into her. I kept my hand in place as I got up. I only needed one to get my pants down. The very same hand made quick work of her bra then I stood back and looked at her. I almost lost my mind just trying to figure out which part of her to touch. My left hand made its way up her stomach, to her breast. "Em," she whined.

"Ask me," I massaged her ass, looking at her glistening core.

"Fuck me, please, would you?" she fumbled. I grabbed a fistful of her and pulled on it as I thrust into her. She looked at me in the mirror, her eyes were slits. I rolled her nipple between my fingers as I pulled out of her. Her eyes closed as I thrust into her again and she made that sweet sound. I grunted, feeling pleasure that could not possibly be born in silence.

Her hand slipped off the sink and I caught her around the stomach gently and lifted her to me. "Are you okay?"

"Not if you stop," she seemed on the verge of tears. It sent fire over my skin to hear her say that. I put one supporting hand below her growing bump and the other next to hers on the sink. The cool skin of her back was on my chest. Her breast rubbed against my forearm. It was torture to know those ample mounds were so close and yet completely out of reach. I moved my hips in circles. Slowly at first then faster, harder and deeper. Her moans followed the crescendo, my sounds followed hers. I sucked her earlobe into my mouth and bit it whenever she looked down.

"Em," passed through her lips as her stomach quivered in my hand. A growl rippled through my chest as I neared my orgasm. I looked to the mirror for her reaction. This was one part of me she made it a point to ignore. I saw her eyes widen then roll back into her head. Her walls closed around me and I lost it. I gripped the sink and leaned back, pushing myself deeper into her. Her warmth spread all over my body, the world disappeared into stars and all I could feel was her.

I came down from my high to find her forehead resting on the sink. That just wouldn't do. Slowly, I pulled out of her warmth. I winced at the loss of contact. "Come on," I lifted her into my arms.

"You should start charging me for rides," she suggested. I'm sure she was referring to my carrying her around so much but I couldn't help but laugh at the pun.

"You're disgusting," she laughed into my neck.

"And lecherous and vile," I laid her on the bed and helped her out of her pants. I kicked my pants off and pulled a light blanket over us. She kept opening her mouth to speak but she would blush and close it again. "Did I do something you didn't like?"

"No," her heart started thumping harder again, "I liked it," she looked intently at the sheet. I could feel the heat rise in her face."I just, I guess I always thought kissing was a necessary part."

"Oh," I ran my finger up and down her cheek. I almost laughed at her innocence but I knew better than to do that.

"It was... intense," she buried her face in my chest. That made me sure that the way she came on to me the first time was false bravado, she was shy when it came to sex. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Uhm," I gave her a chance to listen to her own words.

"Did I just ask you that?" she covered her mouth, "But now I have to ask, how many have there been before me?"

She really wanted an answer this time. No boy above the age of fifteen wanted to be caught dead with his virginity. I never thought I'd want mine back at the age of twenty three. "Twelve," I looked at her through one eye. Her eyes widened then she started blinking rapidly. "Nineteen, since you're already reacting badly," I told the truth. She turned her back to me. "I cannot change my past," I reached for her then thought better of it.

"I know," she sounded so sad it broke my heart, "But I can't help wishing you hadn't been with nineteen other people who are all probably better at this frigid white girl from the proper side of the fence."

"Hey," I pulled her onto her back, "No one makes me feel like you do," I climbed on top of her and pinned her arms above her head in one of mine. "The way your leg finds the perfect spot around mine," I felt her heat against my growing erection. I placed myself between her moist parted labia. A high pitched whine sounded in her throat. "And those sounds you make that tell me when I've hit the spot."

I lifted her ass a little with my free hand. My cock found its way to its one true home, "And how hot and tight you are," I spoke with difficulty.

"Oh God," she arched her back, making me rub against her velvety wall. My breath caught in my throat, "Faster," she instructed. She didn't have to tell me twice but a few thrusts into it and her legs closed around my hips, "Not so hard."

"Okay," I separated her hands and pinned her so that each of her hands was under mine next to her face. I lowered my face to hers till I was half an inch away but I still didn't kiss her. I watched every minute change of her expression as I moved in and out of her. Every jaw clench, every time she closed her eyes and reopened them with a gasp, sigh or moan till her eyes rolled back into her head. Only then, as I exploded inside her, did I kiss her lips. It was the lazy kiss of people whose senses were concentrated in another area of their anatomy.

"You're hot," she said, the decibels barely cleared a whisper.

"Thank you," I kissed her neck.

"Get off me before I dehydrate," she slapped my back. I groaned as I pulled out of her.

"I'm just happy I got seconds," I rolled onto my back.

"Unbelievable," she put her panties back on. I was gonna ask if I could have this pair but I didn't want to exceed my daily wise crack quota. There was a small fridge near the desk. She bent over and opened it. Her ass swayed from side to side as she looked inside. Nikita was steamy without the slightest effort. "Apple juice," she sounded excited. I went to the bathroom to pee and clean up. When I came back she was sitting up in bed with half a bottle of apple juice. No wonder she always has to pee. She was doing it again, fiddling with her hands, avoiding eye contact and blushing.

"What is it?" I sat behind her and I pulled her scent deep into my lungs.

"I wanna try something," she turned her head further away from mine.

"Sure," I agreed.

"You don't even know what I want?" she was suddenly bold enough to look at me.

"Then tell me," I smiled. She looked away again and fidgeted. "Write it down," I pointed to her desk. It took her over a minute to write. She kept stopping to laugh and shake her head. "Say it really fast," my curiosity got the best of me. She put the paper up, hiding behind it. My jaw dropped and I swear my mouth began to water. She wanted to give me a blow job. "You're gonna have to give me a minute," I smiled.

"Not right this second," she scrunched the paper up and threw it at me.

"Sorry champ," I peeked under the blanket. She rolled her eyes as she walked back to me with her hands folded under her breasts. Her nipples were a deep pink, her breasts big, round and almost too good to be true. Plenty of women paid good money to have breasts like that.

"What is it with men and big breasts?" she covered them with her hands.

"We just want to know our children will receive proper nutrition," I bullshitted. What kind of question was that anyway? Men love big breasts because they're big breasts. What's not to love?

"You want me to breastfeed?" her cover on her breasts became protective.

"You don't want to?" I tried to ascertain.

"I do. I want to," she nodded, "Children who've been breastfed have stronger immune systems, greater protection against SIDS, diabetes, childhood obesity, some studied even suggest greater intelligence."

"You don't want to," I contradicted, "You think you should but you don't want to." Nikita threw facts at things when she wasn't sure which way to go.

"I'm gonna do it," she was determined.

"Okay," I knelt in front of her, "Don't hog the boobs kids," I said to her stomach.

"Don't talk filth to my boys," she slapped my hand away.

"Boys, huh?" I looked up at her. She was adjusting very well to the idea of motherhood.

"I'm hoping," she put her hands together, "The wolf gene, as it has been explained to me, is always passed down to the males and you guys have some pretty radical healing abilities."

"I never thought I would hear you say wolf gene with a straight face," I avoided what I really wanted to say. I wanted to ask her who told her that so I could kill him for having her pin her hopes on that. I could tell by her enthusiasm that they didn't tell her that there had to be vampires around for the gene to take effect. The look on her face made it impossible for me to divulge this information so we talked happily about the future while I thought of moving wherever the Cullens lived in fifteen years. I knew Nikita would ask me to when the time came. I knew I would say yes, even if it meant leaving the only home I'd known to live near people I once thought were my enemies. I would do it for my family.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: **

**EPV**

We sat around the table in the first silent moment of the day. Nikita and Ian had been going at since dawn. I never understood the need for siblings to be at each other's throats for no good reason. All the fighting and bickering in the pack was rooted somewhere. These two just woke up cranky and decided to take it out on each other. Ian had helped with the cooking. Nikita sampled everything and that led to more banter.

Her father advised me not to intervene, said it escalates when someone tries to stop it. It was unimaginably hard to hear her spoken to that way. I drank in the silence. Nikita and her brother were seated opposite each other. I was seated opposite Ian's boyfriend, Dean. Eric and Maximilian were at either ends of the table. Dean sneezed for the umpteenth time as starters were served.

"What's wrong?" Ian asked with subtle concern.

"Dr Jackal and Mr Jackass are up to their old tricks," he glared first at Nick then at Eric.

"I just got here," Eric defended himself.

"It wasn't me," Nick's blue eyes widened.

"Unless Mad Max rescued an invisible dog from the pound," he sneezed again, "One of you put dog hair all over this place."

"I'm the animal lover around here," I brought myself to his attention, "I'll go clean up, must have missed some stray hair," I rose from the table.

"If he really does love animals you're in a world of trouble," I heard Dean laughing as I walked away.

"I don't... _hate _animals," Nick argued as a chair moved against the floor.

"I got your brother a puppy and you declared civil war," her father laughed.

"Those you do not merely hate, you dice," Eric contributed.

"Screw you," I heard her voice coming towards me.

"Ride on," Dean said cheerfully.

"Dean," her father said in a reprimanding voice, "Do not encourage her to speak that way."

"She's said far worse," her brother made light.

"Not in front of me," the older man said in dazed voice, speaking to no one at all.

"Let me get this straight," Nick appeared around the corner, "Dean is allergic to you."

"It appears he is," I stuck my hands into my pockets.

"How do we get around this one?" she asked.

"I was hoping you would have a plan," I drew my shoulders in.

"I'll think of something later," she sauntered over to me, "My mind is otherwise occupied at present," she unbuckled my belt.

"Nick," stopped her hands, "Your family is in the next room."

"I know," she pressed herself against me, "Can't you hear my heart?"

I could and it was racing. "When did you become a freak?" I pushed her up against the wall.

"When you touched me there," her leg curled around mine, placing my growing erection on her thigh, "When you showed me I could feel like this," she brushed her lips against mine. I let go of her hands and caught a her smile as she dropped to her knees. She bit her lip as she undid my jeans and pulled them down. My dick hit her cheek as it sprung loose. She laughed silently.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. There wasn't much more than a wall and empty space between us and dinner. I didn't want any of the people in the next room walking in on this. One hand circled my girth and the other cupped my balls. I opened my eyes in surprise. Her tongue circled my head and I swallowed hard. She was looking at me from under her lashes. My hips bucked and she hadn't even started yet.

I let out a slow breath as she took me further into her mouth than I thought she could. I hit a soft warm spot at the back of her throat and I fought to keep my concentration. Her hand rotated around my member then twisted back into starting position. Her hot mouth moved with purpose, coating me in saliva and pleasuring me to the edge of silence. Then she started using her teeth, making undiscernable patterns up and down my cock. Fucking hell she was finishing me.

I thrust forward a little too hard and she gagged. The hand that was caressing my balls quickly moved to anchor me as I tried to pull out of her. I didn't resist, I didn't want to. I bit back a growl as it went back to its former duty. Nick started working me faster and harder. I felt my balls tighten and I put my hand on her head, fucking her mouth roughly. I fisted her hair and I fucked her till I came into the back of her throat. After the moment of primal madness had passed I brushed her hair back. She watched my face as she licked every drop off me.

"Where did you learn to do that?" I bent to lift my pants.

"I'm a natural," she laughed as she got to her feet and wiped off the imaginary dust.

"Liar," I kissed her, tasting myself on her lips.

"The internet is a wonderful invention. Some woman who calls herself Fellacio Blow," she pushed me up against the wall. It was easy, my knees were weak. "They're probably wondering where we are," she kissed me, "We should get back."

"Dean's gonna start sneezing again," I pointed out.

"He'll point the finger at me," she kissed me like she had no intention of going back to that table, "Let's go."

I wanted to pull her back, to carry her to her bedroom and stay there but Nick wasn't just mine. I wasn't the only one who loved her, who needed her.

Dean started sneezing as soon as I sat down. "My bad," Nick raised her hand, "You know how much I love dogs."

Everyone laughed under their breath, except Eric. He laughed out loud. "I'm sorry, that wasn't a joke?" he stopped when Nick glared at him.

"Can't I try without being laughed at?" her voice was suddenly filled with emotion.

"I didn't mean it like that," he was filled with remorse. It was amazing how sensitive Eric was to every change in Nick's feelings.

"Look at that," her father actually sounded proud, "My little girl is trying."

"Yeah," Dean rubbed his nose, "She's a sucker for this one." I did not miss the subtle emphasis on sucker.

"Okay," Nick started eating.

"I just lost my appetite," her father got up. I guess it's safe to say he understood the innuendo, "Dean, never again in my presence," he made a disgusted face, "You," he pointed he at me, "A little respect in my house, please. Nick," he put her hand on her shoulder roughly, "As you grew up over night, you might need to give me time to catch up."

"Okay," she turned to him, "Night Daddy."

"Too early," he dodged her kiss and planted one on her forehead. How did I miss that Dean had caught us?

"On that note," Eric got up, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Nick bit her lip and blinked rapidly. I could tell it was painful for her to let him go. It was painful for him to go. I was sad for the poor bastard. I'm certain I would feel like he does if I had to listen to snide remarks about her giving him a blow job. Ian gave a sympathetic goodbye, so did Dean. "You cock-sucking bastard," Nick threw her napkin at Dean.

"You wanna be the kettle or the pot?" he smirked.

"That was cruel," Ian spoke up, "She deserved it," he pointed at his sister, "But you know how Eric is about her."

"I'm sorry," Dean looked ashamed.

"You should be," his boyfriend replied but it wasn't severe. Dean responded with a sneeze. "You're so cute when you do that," Eric brushed his cheek with his thumb.

"Am I the only one who thinks this is awkward?" I asked the table.

"Well, we're in it," Eric pointed back and forth between his boyfriend and himself, "And she once asked me about how to... make things... enjoyable for Eric."

My head turned automatically to her. "I was socially awkward longer than most," the heat rose in her face.

"I'll say," Ian took a swig from his glass.

"This dinner's been an unmitigated disaster and I'm calling it a night," Nick stood and straightened the creases on her dress.

"Sorry about all your effort going to waste," Dean said as I stood up.

"What are you talking about?" I asked him, "Dinner was pretty great for me." Nick slapped the back of my head.

"You two need to leave now," Ian looked like he might throw up.

"You don't have to tell me twice," I took Nick's hand and pulled her from the room. "Now where were we?" I lifted her into my arms when we were out of sight. I could hear cutlery and glasses being knocked over in the other room. Good times all around. I set Nick down on the bed and pulled her underwear off with my teeth. Her legs fell open without the slightest effort from me. She was swollen and wet. I'd barely gotten my lips on her clit when she started convulsing and calling my name. "That was fast," I licked her nectar from my smiling lips.

"Don't let it go to your head," she stood and dropped her dress, "My blood volume could combat yours right now," her bra fell to the floor. I looked at those juicy mounds of flesh on her chest.

"If I didn't know you loved me I would be offended by how much you stare at my boobs," she cupped one in each hand. I took off my shirt and most of my buttons. I hadn't gotten used to such attire. She knelt on the bed and started pulling the covers down slowly.

"If you're testing me I'm about to fail," I ditched the pants. She flipped her hair and smirked. That was invitation enough for me. I got on my knees behind her and kissed her ass cheek. She lifted her rear and gave me a glistening eyeful. Hot damn. I eased into her warmth and moved in slow circles.

"Ow," she collapsed on the bed.

"Sorry, sorry," I lay down next to her, hesitating briefly before I rubbed her back, "Went too far, huh?"

"I get cramps from time to time," she rolled onto her side, "It's perfectly natural."

"I hear a hot water bottle helps," I got up to prepare one.

"With period pains," she grabbed my finger, "Not very effective when your uterus is expanding to accommodate two growing boys."

"Why can't this be easier?" I lay back down and rubbed her growing bump.

"I need to take a nap," she whined, "But I don't think I can," she started crying. I was exhausted just following her mood swings.

"It's gonna be okay," I got up and put my pants over my dick, Mr Man squirrelled away when the water works started, "I'm gonna get you some... warm milk... and a blanket," I pulled one out of her linen closet and covered her, "And..." I looked around the room, "A movie."

"I like milk," she rolled over and nodded, "I'll pick the movie."

_Great_, I thought, _Star Wars_. To my great surprise, we were watching Bee Movie. One glance at her face told me not to say a word. I watched a movie rated for the entire family for the first time in I don't know how long. She cried when the bee said, 'Free these bees' and when the florist landed the plane right through the key chain speech. She felt better after four glasses of milk. I watched her sleeping for a good six hours before I went to sleep. So it continued for two months but I'm a wild beast. You can't keep Mighty Joe in a cage. Yes, we saw that one too.

"So," I started, "I think its time you met the elders."

She blinked at me a few times then gave me a monosyllabic answer, "No."

"That's not the most constructive response," I told her, "And why not?"

"Because my threshold for disapproval is pretty low," she pouted.

"They'll love you," I kissed her cheek.

"Oh please," she pushed my face away, "Your people are traditionalists and it's not likely that they'll approve of the blonde city girl."

"You're not being fair," I replied.

"That doesn't mean I'm not right," she had a point there. As much as I hated to think about it, the odds weren't great.

"Tell me something," I changed the subject, "What's your problem with being blonde?"

"I'm an engineer," she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I may be qualified in other areas but I'm an engineer at heart and let me tell, no one wants to entrust a multimillion dollar project to an underwear model. Now stop changing the subject."

"You didn't change your looks though," I used her story to make my point, "You built your reputation on merit and some of your collegues may still talk to your boobs but they know you're great at what you do. You don't hide from a fight."

"I want to," she mumbled, "I want to run and hide but I have a feeling you won't let me."

"You've taken on bigger fish," I put my arms around her middle. She was four months along and I could hear the little heartbeats. She was stalling on knowing the sexes.

"I didn't care if they didn't like me," those baby blues popped out of her skull. It was sweet. She cared that they liked her.

"How does next week sound?" I asked.

"It sounds horrible," she put her head on my shoulder, "I'll have to stew in it until then. Let's go tomorrow."

"Rip off the bandage," I nodded.

"So you admit this is going to be unpleasant?" she turned my words on me.

"I'm not getting sucked into that," I did not engage.

"We have to tell them," she started down an equally unpleasant path. I'd been avoiding Dean, which was not easy, but he'd now started sneezing around Nick as well. Logic was stacked against secrecy.

"You know what? We can discuss that with the elders as well," I dodged. It was an impossible situation. I rubbed her feet till she feel asleep. She was getting impossible to share a bed with. She tossed and turned and sprawled all over the place. I spent a great deal of the nights on the couch. Who knew a queen could be so small?

"Em," a small voice called in the middle of the night.

"I'm here," I sprang to my feet, "I'm right here," I sat on the bed and held her hand.

"Take off your clothes," she put on the lights.

"Yes ma'am," I made quick work of my shorts.

"You have sex on the brain," she sat up, "I wanna see you change or shift or whatever it's called."

"The last time you saw that you called a doctor," I reminded her.

"I want to see it," she insisted, "It'll still be you in there, right?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Do it," she put her feet on the floor. She was wearing a vest and a pair of shorts.

"In here?" I looked around.

"There's enough room," she looked around as well.

"Okay," I moved away from her and closed my eyes. I hadn't done this in a while but it was still easy. Hands turned into paws and I put them on the carpet. I watched her as she approached me cautiously. I lay on my stomach and put my head on my paws. She came to kneel beside me and put her hand under my chin, running her fingers back and forth. It was a great sensation. Her leg went over my back and she lay on top of me then started moving slowly back and forth. Her nails dug deeper into my fur and I purred in contentment. I never thought this would happen.

"What the fuck?" Ian exclaimed from the door. I hadn't seen that one coming either.


	14. Chapter 14

I stayed still, a small part of me hoped I wouldn't be noticed. To make this situation worse Ian was not alone. Dean was with him. I could practically see the scream building in his throat. "Oh shut it you melodramatic queen," Nick jumped to her feet and put her hand over his mouth.

"What the hell?" Ian pointed at me. Dean sneezed.

"You might want to sit down," Nick played with the edge of her vest, "I'm not sure I'm the right person to explain this," she picked up boxers and threw them at me. I guessed that was my cue. I shifted into my human form and quickly put on my boxers.

"Notice how Dean always sneezes around me?" I opened. The room was silent.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?" Nick pleaded.

"What would I tell them?" her brother hissed, "What the hell is he and what are you doing with him?"

"He's a man... who happens to morph into a giant wolf at will and I'm having his kids, remember?" she put her hands on her bump. His eyes widened, going back and forth between me and her stomach. "I was a little more understanding when you brought home a person named Steve."

"He wasn't a freak of nature and Eric wasn't allergic to him," they were off in sibling land, "He's probably dangerous," he pulled her elbow and hissed into her ear.

"He is not," she snatched her arm from him, "He's the gentlest man I've ever met."

"I believe you," he nodded, "He's gentle _with you_. What about the rest of the human race?"

"He wouldn't hurt a fly," she promised.

"Am I the strangest thing you've ever seen?" I asked Dean.

"Strange isn't my adjective of choice but let's go with that," he nodded.

"I'm not dangerous," I assured him.

"Why would I think that?" he took an involuntary step back.

"Okay," I levelled with him, "I don't eat people of any age. The weirdest thing I've ever eaten was elk and I did that as a wolf so it shouldn't count. My body temperature is a steady hundred and eight degrees. I can run a hundred yards in just under four seconds and I can bench 800 pounds. That makes me sound dangerous but I'm perfectly harmless, I assure you. I warm milk, I rub my girlfriend's feet and I cook because I like it."

"You're just a regular Joe," Ian cut in.

"When I'm not a giant wolf, sure," I wanted to curb my sarcasm as soon as it was out there. People need a little more than five seconds to adjust to a horse-sized wolf in their home. Dean sneezed again. Nick laughed. Her brother glared.

"I've been holding that in for two months," she covered her mouth with her hand.

"You're okay with this?" Ian gave his sister a bewildered look.

"I know some things that you don't," she walked around me and peaked at him from behind my shoulder.

"Nikita," he tried to grab her wrist but she swung it out of the way.

"I would never hurt her," I checked my temper. I was the king of anger management, the Zen master. It never failed to amaze absolutely everyone but even the slightest implication that I could hurt Nikita lit a fire under my skin. "I'm not expecting you to swallow the events of the past half hour just yet but surely you know how much I love your sister."

"I don't know if I can even leave you in here with her," he tried to pull her from behind me again. She circled to my other side, "Are you insane?" he asked her.

"Yes," she clutched my bicep, "I would say that I'm in love but that isn't much of a contradiction, is it?"

"I liked you better when you thought like a scientist," he stabbed the air angrily with his finger, "You might not have been the warmest or even the most likeable of people but you were thorough. We don't have the whole story here. Who knows what heinous thing could happen to you after the... kids are born."

"No Ian, _you_ don't have the whole story," she got out from behind me.

"Tell me what I'm missing," he raised his voice.

"I will," she put her hand on his shoulder, "But not tonight, okay? I'm tired and it's a really long story."

"We'll be down the hall," Dean dragged Ian out of the room. The stubborn bugger gripped the door frame and turned to say something.

"I know," she smiled. Her brother sighed and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"There is so much about your relationship with that guy I do not understand," I thought out loud.

"There is so much about relationships in general that I do not understand," Nick shrugged.

"You don't say," I scoffed.

"I get it now. I'm not supposed to ask my brother about sex. And I will never live that down," she pulled her hair to cover her face.

"I love you," kissed her hair then moved it out of the way, "I love everything about you. Your boobs have preference," I laughed.

"Pig," she laughed, "But that's okay," she rallied, "Those abs are your best selling point. It doesn't hurt that I could bounce a nickel off your ass."

"Don't make me undress you," I walked towards her. She walked backwards and fell onto the bed.

"Okay, I won't," she pulled her vest off and wiggled out of her shorts.

"You missed one," I stood and waited for her to take off her panties. She put her feet up on the bed, lifted her hips and pulled her undies down.

"My gift to you," she handed them over. I took a whiff. "Don't do that in front of me," she slapped my hand.

"If it makes you feel better," I took my underwear off, "You can sniff mine," I threw it at her.

"Dog," she threw it back and got under the covers, facing away from me. "Turn out the light," she yawned. I turned the light off, feeling a bout of blue balls coming on.

"What are you trying to do?" I asked when she started rubbing her ass against my erection.

"Oh stop playing hard to get," she arched her back. I kissed her neck, working my way up to her earlobe. "Can we skip the foreplay?" she asked, "I'm horny and I'm tired."

"Um," I wasn't quite sure about this, "You want me to just do it?"

"Yes," she put her hand on my hip and pulled me closer, "And forgive me for not being a very active participant."

"Ahh... No," I shook my head even though she couldn't see me, "That wouldn't feel right."

"Please," she sounded like she was in pain, "I don't think I can sleep otherwise."

"I feel like I'm about to violate you," my hands hesitantly went to her hips.

"I want this," her hand went around my member and stroked. Weak as I am, it didn't take much for me to give in. She wasn't lying about wanting this. She was so wet and her moans of approval were enough to spur me on. The whole thing was over in two minutes and I would have been humiliated if she didn't pass out two seconds later. I put my arms around her and went to sleep.

An annoying beeping sound woke me in the morning. "Time to pack," Nick got out of bed.

"Go back to sleep," I commanded, "Your eyes are puffy and you are the picture of Tired."

"I get that a lot," her snide remark was ruined by a yawn.

"Case in point," I kissed her forehead and went to the closet. "What do you want to pack?"

"Whatever fits," she patted her stomach. That did limit the options. Almost everything she owned left a sliver of skin exposed, a gradually expanding one. She went back to sleep and I packed all the clothes that fit her, every one. She'd probably be mad but I wanted to stay home as long as I possibly could. I ran her bath, mixed all the things she liked to have in there. Funny thing about Nick, she was recently converted. She believes that in a relationship there should be a bath person and a shower person. Since we were both shower people, one of us had to convert. Yes, I know she's insane. I love her anyway. The really funny part is that she has no idea how she likes her bath. She said I got it perfect and that she was the only engineer/scientist who couldn't follow a recipe. I liked that she depended on me, even for something so trivial.

The whole idea behind shower people and bath people was to bathe separately and save time but she didn't complain when I got into the foamy water with her. "Have you told your father?" I asked as I rubbed her lower back.

"He's gonna freak out," she rested her head on my arm.

"He can come too, you know," I squeezed the water out of the sponge and ran it down the side of her face.

"That is the worst idea in the history of time," she sighed, "And he won't have it any other way."

"What's so horrible about it?" I asked.

"He's a sixty four year old man," she slapped the water, "I'm afraid of what will happen when we tear up the fibre of his reality. "

"Your brother will tell him," I warned, "He will not let you leave with me and he won't explain it right."

"I thought I'd have more time," she fell back onto my chest.

"I know," I kissed her wet hair.

"Nikita," Ian opened her bedroom door.

"I'm in the bath with my boyfriend," she yelled. Ian came in and checked anyway, "We're going to La Push," she told him.

"The hell you are!" he roared.

"You can come and that's my final offer," she opened one palm like her offer was on it. He glared, angry because he knew there was nothing he could do about it. "Tell Max we leave in an hour and not a syllable more."

"I'm not the one trying to give him a heart attack," he jabbed then slammed the door as he went.

"I never want to get out of this bath," she pressed herself into me like it was possible for us to get any closer. I wrapped my arms around her and we pretended for a little while that we could stay in this moment forever. Two hours, one shoddy explanation and some silent communication later the tickets were booked and we were going to La Push. And glory hallelujah we were going to fly. I wasn't crazy about the idea of spending four days in a match box with all the Dixons.

I arranged everything through Jacob. Cowardly of me but I was in no mood for all the lectures on the proper way of doing things. Nikita had found her footing but her father was a man who knew no magic. I feared, as she did, that tearing up the fabric of his reality was not something that would sit well with him. Eric did not come to say goodbye. Nick cried in the airplane bathroom and I held on to my seat. She didn't want to do it in front of me and I respected that, yes, let's call this respect.

"I hate flying," she shut her eyes as soon as she sat down, "My feet are swollen, I can hardly move my fingers, I have heartburn that I swear I can feel in my ears, I'm uncomfortable sitting up and I'm uncomfortable laying down. The cherry on the cake is that every morsel of food on this plane disgusts me."

"It sounds an awful lot like you hate being pregnant," I said in a quiet voice.

"I'm sorry if that offends you but it borders on unbearable ," she turned away from me, "Glowing my ass!"

"Can I tell you a secret?" I whispered with my chin on her shoulder. She didn't reply, only curled into herself and further away from me. "I've never met a woman who liked being pregnant," I truly had not, "It's the first proof of a mother's profound love. You wouldn't put up with all the things you mentioned for someone you did not truly love."

She turned to me with a shy smile and downcast eyes, "You don't think ..." the smile disappeared.

"I think you'll be a great mom," I held her face in my hands. I adjusted the seats till they were more like a bed then I pulled her into my chest. Her father smiled at me, I think, then turned his head up and closed his eyes. Her brother was hacking away at his computer phone.

"I'm afraid," she whispered into my chest.

"So am I," I confessed into her hair, "But I'm hopeful," I rubbed her belly.

"So am I," she fisted my shirt. I smelled the salt of her tears for a second, she kissed my chest and was quiet. I put my hand on our children and moved my thumb back and forth. I could feel movement. Someone in there was having hick-ups. I smiled at the miracle of life every time I felt a nudge on my hand. Nick put her hand over mine and sighed.

"Nikita," I checked to see if she was still awake. She made a sound of acknowledgement. "Marry me," I brushed her hair.

"What?" she sat up like she'd been electrocuted, "No," she shook her head and gave me this disbelieving look before she turned away from me. That could have gone better.


End file.
